A Second Glance, Book III
by Valkrez
Summary: They got a second chance, but what will they do with it? A parallel-canon story taking place in Book III of Legend of Korra. This is part 3 of the "A Second Glance" series.
1. Chapter 1

_They got a second chance, but what will they do with it? I a parallel-canon story taking place in Book III of Legend of Korra._

 _This story is part of the 'A Second Glance' series._

 _I do not own any part of Avatar: Legend of Korra, It's universe or its characters. Nickelodeon does._

* * *

Dawn was such a merciless master when it sifted through the tall pane windows to pry Korra awake and back to the living world. She could hear it in the birdsongs outside of the sill and distantly note it in the ache of her contorted muscles, but then she began to smell it in the perfume of the other woman's hair flung carelessly around her chin and feel it in the warmth of two bodies nestled impossibly close. Gradually she opened her eyes and saw that they, which was to say she and Asami, had fallen asleep on the heiress' sitting room couch, tangled into a knotted chaos of limbs, hair and pillows. Asami was beneath her, mostly, with one leg tucked around her hips and an arm hanging half-off the sofa's edge. Korra's arms were layered around the heiress and her cheek rested in the nook between shoulder and throat while their hair mingled on the pillow behind them.

Seeing how it was she had fallen asleep, Korra stifled any attempt to actually wake up and chose to simply study the sharp lines of her girlfriend's slumbering features instead. This close, she could smell not only Asami's perfume but the heady fragrance that was all her own and the combination had a dazing affect on the Avatar. She loved the way that Asami smelled, and she loved the way her skin brushed so softly against hers in the places where it was barred. The engineer was wearing a pleated skirt and long-sleeved blouse, but Korra had managed to talk the heir to Future Industries into at least relaxing out of her stockings and shoes the night before and she couldn't resist letting her right hand trail to the knee that was propped up around her hips. Surely Asami wouldn't notice.

"Korra," the engineer mumbled, objecting sleepily and the Water Tribe girl made a sheepish smirk.

"You're awake," she noted in a groggy voice, nuzzling deeper into Asami's neck.

"Mmm..." came the reply and slowly Asami shifted just a bit underneath her. "I guess we did it again."

Korra yawned, nodding. This must have been the third time that they'd fallen asleep on the sofa after coming back to the Sato manor late and buzzed from food and laughter and one another's company. She could remember them putting on a radio story about an old man living off the sea and she supposed that that had been the culprit of them both dozing off. She adjusted herself some, wincing at the soreness that the couch had caused.

"You know," she pointed out as she perched her weight up on one hand, looking down at Asami. "We wouldn't be this sore in the morning if we were sleeping in a bed..." she grinned, leaning to place her lips against Asami's. She only managed to hold the kiss for a few moments however before Asami broke from her, making a show of untangling from one another.

"That's a good point, I'll have Meng set you up in one of the guest rooms," she offered, getting to her feet and straightening her skirt. Korra sat up properly to watch her, a somber smile on her features. She had known better than to try to suggest that they sleep together, but it was difficult to not tease Asami sometimes and besides, maybe one of these days she'd get more than a chaste kiss and a handshake from her girlfriend. Korra didn't mind the reserved affection, in actuality. It had been only two weeks since her breakup with Mako and she understood perfectly well that Asami needed time to trust her properly again. After everything which she had put the engineer through in the past year, Korra was fine with the waiting and she didn't care how long it would last: she'd do anything she needed to in order to win Asami, even if that meant a hundred more nights on the couch. At least she was still sleeping close to the woman she loved.

Asami stretched and wobbled her way towards the phone on the sitting room table, placing it against her ear and swiveling the dial to a number. After a moment, Korra heard a voice on the other line and saw Asami answer past a yawn.

"Morning Meng. Yes. The upstairs sitting room. Yes. No, no I'm fine. No, really. Yes, she stayed the night," she placed a hand over the receiver and looked over at Korra. "You staying for breakfast?"

Korra nodded. She probably had something to do somewhere, but she couldn't recall it off the top of her head and if it wasn't important enough to remember at once then it wasn't important enough to leave Asami over. The heiress went back to the receiver and had half a conversation while Korra looked for and pulled on her fur-lined boots.

"Oh, did he? How long ago? All right, I'll give her the message," she was saying and Korra rolled her eyes as the engineer ended the call.

"Tenzin?"

"Yes," she turned to look at her, mouth twisted in an unhappy line. "He called first thing this morning."

"I'll be eighteen in less than three months, does he have to follow my every move?" Korra groaned, rolling her shoulders as she stood up.

Asami shrugged. "He knows you're out with me..." she gave her a wry little grin. "So he's got cause to worry."

Korra grinned too and walked close enough to put her hands around Asami's lower back. She loved to have her arms around Asami. "Yeah, you're the bad influence in this friendship."

"Well," she looked up and to her left as she counted. "We've wrecked... one moped, one satomobile, and two aeroplanes together. We don't have a great track record for keeping the peace."

Korra chuckled. "Don't forget that camp in the South Pole."

"Can we really take credit for that, though? That was mostly Bumi's doing."

She scoffed. "I'm taking credit for it, I'm the Avatar."

Asami laughed and leaned to peck Korra's bottom lip, and Korra pecked hers back. She could feel Asami hesitate in her arms as she took another brief, light kiss, but then Asami gave her one too. She didn't want to dare to hope that she'd be allowed to do anything other than share such tame affection, but Korra carefully touched her lips to Asami's again and the heiress' mouth deftly moved against hers... and then suddenly parted from the kiss all together.

"Um," she was blushing and looking downwards. "You should probably go ahead and call Tenzin. See what he wants."

"Yeah," she relented and nodded her head, dropping her hands. She was probably blushing too, judging by how hot her face felt and she realized with surprise that she was now very, very awake. She picked up the receiver and circled around the dial for the number to Air Temple Island, thinking through how she was going to explain her night away this time. In the fortnight that they'd been back in Republic City, Korra had spent some three nights at the Sato manor and Asami had stayed a few with her on Air Temple Island. They both preferred the manor, but Tenzin had a tendency to get agitated if he thought that Korra was ignoring her airbending rituals and besides, Asami enjoyed the company of the airbenders. Just not the beds.

The ringer went off three times before Tenzin answered.

"Hello, this is Master Tenzin at Air Temple Island," he stated formally and Korra rolled her eyes.

"Hey, Tenzin. It's me."

"Korra? Where are you?"

"...Asami's. You called here a little while ago."

"Ah, right. I thought you may have gone to examine the spirit vines already."

Korra groaned. Ever since Harmonic Convergence the city had been under regular assault by an absolute abundance of massive vines, seemingly from the spirit world. No matter how often or diligently they studied the growth (or how many fire balls she threw), no one had yet been able to figure out where they all came from or how to keep them from taking the city over entirely. As it was, there were whole neighborhoods lost to what was being named the 'Spirit Wilds'.

"I forgot that we were going to do that today."

"I see. Did you also forget that you have a press conference with Raiko this afternoon?"

Korra's full blown eyeroll, shoulder slump, and heaving sigh was proof that she had in fact forgotten about the press conference. "No... I'll be there. I'll meet you on the corner of Fifth and Central in... two hours?" She really wanted to be able to stay for breakfast with Asami.

"Make it an hour and a half. We've already lost too much of the morning." It was barely eight o'clock.

"Okay," she sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose and then hung up the phone without a goodbye. She looked over at Asami, who was watching her with patient sympathy.

"Avatar duties?"

She nodded. "I'm really not looking forward to this press conference. What if I don't have anything good to tell them?"

"You can't think that way, sweetheart," the heiress advised, running a hand up her shoulder affectionately. "Don't get all pouty before you even look at the problem."

She huffed, blowing her tussled bangs out of her face, but gave her girlfriend a reluctant grin. "Yeah, okay."

Asami smiled at her and Korra wondered at how the woman was so stunning so early in a day. Why did she even bother with make-up when she looked like that in the morning? "I'll come to the conference, that way if you don't have any good news you can just kiss me in front of the photographers and everyone will forget about the vines."

Korra laughed and Asami grabbed her hand, squeezing it as she started to lead her out of the sitting room and into the hallway. They took a few steps together while Korra considered the wisdom in what she would say next, but finally figured that it was a topic worth broaching.

"Do you really want me to?"

"What? Kiss me?"

"In front of everyone. Because I will," she stated firmly, looking at her. "If you want me to." She'd broken up with Asami before because of how unsure she'd felt about being in a public relationship with a woman, but it was important to her that Asami knew that she didn't care about that anymore. She liked to think that she knew her own heart a little better now, and she didn't care if the rest of the world knew that too.

Asami looked away, smiling softly to herself. "Maybe someday," she said after a bit while they started down the stairs. "But I think we need to get your approval rating up some before we flabbergast everyone with something new. If we make our relationship public now it's only going to distract from what you're trying to do with the spirit portals opening and..." she smirked at her. "I think that's a little more important right now than who you're going to the movies with." A thought seemed to occur to her and her jade eyes flashed a shade of venom. "As long as you're going with me."

Korra laughed and clenched the hand in hers. "You're the only person I'm going anywhere with," she promised and meant it. All she wanted was to be around Asami, whether it was in a cinema or at a diner or even meditating on the island. The place didn't matter, only the company.

* * *

Just as she had predicted, the press conference went less than well. Korra was glad to at least have one supportive face in the crowd, but the demands of the press and journalists managed to overshadow even Asami's quiet encouragement. They wanted to know why the Avatar had done this to Republic City and if the vines which were creeping through the streets were all part of her new design for the Republic. The accusations were not only unfounded but infuriatingly ludicrous and it was with great effort on Korra's part that she kept from telling the crowd to go sit on a vine themselves. Instead, she roared something about how she was doing her best, which was still better than the rest of them could say, which they only rolled their eyes at. Raiko was even less helpful but fortunately the whole event was over in under ten agonizing minutes, leaving Korra despondent on the city hall stairs. It was difficult to recall that her morning had been so pleasant.

"This is a disaster," she sighed as Asami joined her at the steps, looking at her boots and fidgeting with her glider staff.

"No it's not, we can still figure out how to fix this," the heiress promised.

"Yeah, that's real easy for you to say. You don't have my poll numbers. An 8% approval rating?" She shook her head in wonder. "Where are these people that are still approving?"

Asami placed a hand on her arm. "Don't take all of that to heart. A lot has happened so fast and everyone is just frustrated right now."

She snorted. " Well I don't blame them. I'm the Avatar, I should be able to fix this."

Without bothering to see if they were noticed, Asami slipped her arm around Korra's and started to lead her off the steps. "Sweetheart, what did I say about you and spirits?"

"...That I should quit hitting them with fireballs?" She attempted a sidelong grin, and Asami nudged her in response.

"No," she answered in a dry tone.

Korra heaved another sigh but her features lifted some as they walked. "That I'd figure it out. That I always figure it out, it just takes me time."

"Exactly. So..."

"So, I'll figure this out too," she finished for her with a vaguely mocking lilt, which won her a narrow glance in return. Korra grinned at her and Asami rolled her eyes.

"Smartass."

Arm-in-arm they approached Asami's newest car: a sportster in clean black lines and white trim. Korra knew that her engineer girlfriend had designed it herself and done most of the labor with her own hands, which was at times impossible for her to imagine. Asami was endlessly surprising when she was casually shifting between aristocrat to mechanic and then to capable warrior. The Avatar broke from her to slide over the hood and then hop into the passenger seat.

"Korra." Asami frowned as she opened her driver's side door.

"What?" The Water Tribe girl laughed back, hands open at her sides. She knew perfectly well why Asami was scolding her. "You should try it. It's a skill!"

Asami's jade eyes became slits as she eyed her, and then wordlessly she left the driver's side to walk some twenty feet in front of the car. She turned on heel, and Korra was taken aback as the woman suddenly rushed at the car from an angle and then took a jump to slip across the hood-piece and land smoothly on her side of the car again.

"Huh," she scoffed and flipped her ebony hair over her shoulder. "That's actually sort of fun."

Korra meanwhile was sitting with her cheeks three shades of pink and her knuckle to her lips to keep from bursting into giggles.

"What is it?" Asami demanded warily, looking at her but the girl only glanced at Asami's leg where her skirt had ridden up nearly to her hip, showing garters and soft white thigh. The heiress followed her glance and gasped, blushing brightly as she snatched her skirt back into place and looked around them for anyone who might have noticed. Korra lost her tentative control of her laughter and bent over the seat, giggling. "You're just the worst sometimes, Korra," Asami smarted as she joined her in the car, shutting the door a bit loudly.

She stuck her key in the ignition while Korra sobered up and leaned closer. "No one saw you," she appealed, still chuckling. "At least no one that matters."

Asami blushed all over again while she put the car into gear and started in the direction of the docks. "Let's just get away from this side of town," she suggested primly, pulling them into the streets.

"Let's just get out of town," Korra countered. She sat with her arms stretched behind the red leather seat, watching Asami drive with a small, impish smirk. "Come to Air Temple Island for dinner."

Asami arched a brow at her. "And stay for the night?" She guessed wryly.

Korra just smiled back. "I mean, if you're going to insist."

She chuckled and drove through a green light, tapping her fingers methodically on the steering wheel.

"I'll come to dinner," she faltered a moment more. "But, you don't think that we're spending too much time together, do you?"

"No," the Avatar answered automatically and her face fell some. "Do you?"

Asami's gaze tore from the road to hers. "No," she smiled softly as they cruised towards the Republic City harbor and the ferry which would take them together to the island. "Not at all."

* * *

What Asami liked best about Air Temple Island was the warmth, and noise. She loved how the common rooms filled with the cheerful faces of the acolytes and how the Airbender family bickered and laughed and tugged at each-other's heartstrings, while Master Tenzin sat stonily by with his expression of long endured annoyance. Compared to the arching silence of her family manor, the Temple with its smoldering incense, vegetarian dishes, and stiff cot beds was a holiday reprieve and one which she had missed terribly during the months when she and Korra weren't speaking. Now that she was comfortable with being on the island again, she had been accepted with open arms by the family and it was touching in so many ways to be welcomed by people who wanted nothing more from her than her companionship.

After dinner they all retired to the lounge for a while to talk about Bumi's recent and startling bending awakening (the retired general had suddenly began airbending at the start of his golden years), and then when the bells tolled ten she and the other guests (Bolin was staying with the airbenders as well) made for their respective dormitories. The women's dormitories also had a common room and, unsurprisingly, Jinora and Ikki both followed with her and Korra to stay up late and play games on the woven bamboo mats. The sisters were pretty good at dice, but Ikki tended to get frustrated if Jinora won too many times in a row and when they finally erupted into arguing, Korra ordered them both home.

"Aw but Korra," Ikki whined. "We weren't even fighting!"

"Yeah, we weren't really fighting," Jinora insisted but Korra took to her feet, pointing for the door.

"You guys know the rule. Besides, it's waaay past your bedtime and Pema's going to be mad enough at me for letting you stay up this late."

Asami smirked; she liked to see Korra taking on an older sister role with the girls with such familiarity. It made her more a part of the airbender family, and by association made Asami feel closer to them too.

Ikki tossed a spot-on bottom lip pout at Asami next, somehow sure that the heiress could override a decision made by Korra but she only shrugged helplessly back. "It's time for bed, girls."

"Ugh," Ikki groused and stomped her foot, but Jinora was more accepting of the policy and grasped her sister's shoulders to lead her out of the common room.

"C'mon. Say goodnight," she advised and Ikki threw a half-hearted 'goodnight' over her shoulder as they left and made for their family's quarters.

Korra shook her head, looking after them, and then turned back to Asami with a lifted brow. "Those little monsters don't know when to stop." She took a step nearer and then slumped quite gracefully to her knees and then forward until her head was rested in Asami's lap. The engineer chuckled and started to pull the Water Tribe girl's hair free of her ties.

"I never wanted to go to bed when I was little. All the best things happen at night. I could watch the city lights from the hall window and I always wanted to run downtown see the pretty dresses and cars," she reminisced as she pet through Korra's tangled hair with her nails.

"I couldn't see anything for miles," Korra responded with a yawn while Asami's fingers curled to caress down her bronze cheek. "Just arctic tundra and mountains and stars..." she smiled softly. "But I guess now, you can see the Southern Lights dancing."

The heiress smiled too. "Because you brought them back." Surprisingly, it was easy to forget that one of the dearest people in her life was capable of accomplishing such awesome things. Most of the time Asami only saw 'Korra', with her hard grin and her determined pouting. She saw an amazing waterbender, and a talented athlete and a beautiful young woman but it occasionally took a small reminder for her to see the Avatar nestled in her lap. "Can I ask you something?"

Korra looked up at her, grinning so charmingly that it nearly hurt. "Of course."

"What's it like, to be part spirit? What did it feel like to be giant and blue?"

She laughed and closed her eyes, getting comfortable in Asami's lap. "I can't say what it feels like to be part spirit, because I've always been part spirit. I just didn't know it. I don't think I could explain it any better than you could explain not having a spirit of peace and light." She got quiet a moment and the engineer continued to stroke her fingers down the curves of her face. When she continued, her voice grew pensive. "When I went into the Tree of Time... it was like I had been severed from all of these parts of me but they didn't just go away. Something was still there inside of me. Tenzin said that it was my own personal spiritual center but maybe it was more than that. He's a master but he couldn't have made that sort of connection, and I think that it's because I've had so many past lives. Even if I can't connect to them, they happened. I think that I learned how to open my chakras and connect with the universe so many times that it's almost ingrained. Like a path my soul knows so well because it created it. And then when I found my way it was like..." she opened her eyes and her expression was distantly unaware of the room. Asami realized that she wasn't looking at the wall, but something beyond the room and possibly even them.

"Like what?"

"...It was like diving. Like I kept plunging deeper. I wasn't even aware of my spirit growing until I was standing in the bay." She sighed. "But it was still different from entering the Avatar state."

"What's that like?" She asked, tucking threads of Korra' dark brown hair behind her ear. The girl glanced up at her and her wicked smile widened.

"Do you want to see?"

Asami wasn't sure about that grin. "...All right," she answered warily, wondering at once what mischief her girlfriend had in mind.

Korra sat up suddenly and folded her legs, sitting so closely across from her that their knees touched. She pushed her fists together and took a deep, meditative breath. Asami watched her, intrigued, and then there was a pulsing shutter which the heiress could feel all the way into her chest. She knew, instinctively, that something had changed in the woman even before Korra opened her eyes to reveal orbs glowing like starlight. The transformation was almost startling and she wondered if it really was the Korra she knew and loved sitting across from her, or something else.

And then the Avatar grinned and held out her hands for Asami's. She looked to Korra's hands and haltingly lay her fingers in her palms. Korra gripped her, still smirking, and leaned carefully towards her and after only a moment of trepidation they met in a kiss unlike any Asami had ever shared with someone before. The light in Korra's eyes was in her mouth, pressing to her lips with an intoxicating vibration, soft and quick like a heartbeat. She could feel more than Korra, she was swallowing the warm glow of the spirit world; breathing in the essence of timelessness. Tingling mouths parted and tongues danced but she was aware of so much more than the passion of two hearts. She felt lightheaded, both warm and cool, and the buzzing of Korra's constant energy seemed to flow directly into her. In the Avatar state, Korra was wound by the duality of her own nature and that realization broke their kiss.

Asami leaned her forehead to Korra's, eyes shut as she gasped from the intensity of the moment. She could feel the Avatar spirit dissipate and vanish, and then it was her Korra pressed to her again.

"...Sorry," Korra panted after a minute of quiet. "Was that too much?"

She shook her head slightly, not separating from her. "Just... different." She could feel Korra smile and then she cupped her hands to the Water Tribe girl's cheeks to pull her to her lips again, wanting to replace the taste of spirit with the girl she loved. Korra was more than accepting and her eager kisses first calmed Asami's racing heart and then set it off once more but for different reasons. Suddenly she was nearly overwhelmed with the urge to push Korra down onto the mats and layer their bodies together with this heat between them but she managed to stop herself before risking another mistake. She refused to give way to lust, again. The last time they hadn't been entirely ready and the ache it caused after their relationship had ended had been all the worse for it. She wasn't going to let things be spoiled between them once more and with an effort she pulled from Korra.

She opened her mouth to say something, to give some excuse for why she always stopped them but there was no need. Korra smirked and head-butted her tenderly. "Time for bed?" She guessed.

Asami nodded, tongue stuck thickly in her mouth. They stayed that way for a moment longer and then Korra twisted up to her feet and held a hand out for Asami, who was glad to take it. Wordlessly, the Avatar walked down the fitted-timber hall with her to the guest room she always stayed in and Asami had to laugh at the strange mix of traditional and unusual courtship happening in that moment.

"You don't have to walk me to my door," she whispered among the cool blue shadows of the dormitory. Korra was leaned against the wall beside her sliding screen door, her hands in her pockets.

"I just want to know you got home safe," she responded and Asami chuckled again, then gave her a polite peck on her cheek. "Thanks for dinner, I had a lovely time."

"Great, we should do it again sometime. Can I call you?"

Her cheeks were almost sore from trying to not laugh. "Sure, my number's listed."

Korra made a show of giving her an exaggerated fake wink and then turned to walk back down the hall to her own room. Asami watched her, standing half in the open door, and as Korra started into her room she paused and looked across the shadows at her. Another urge rippled through Asami, telling her to rush down the hall and into the Avatar's arms... but she just waved instead and slid her door closed. With the screen and several rooms separating them, she felt more sure of her own willpower and took a deep breath of the sea-breeze filtering in from the open window. Asami fell onto her uncomfortable bed almost at once, arms spread at her sides, but regardless of the residual desire pumping painfully through her she was grinning at the ceiling from ear to ear.

* * *

 _Author's Note: Thanks for continuing with the story! I've had some update issues, so to make up for it... have the first chapter of Book III! This Book will be a little longer than Book II, and will have adult themes._


	2. Chapter 2

Summer on Air Temple Island was particularly pleasant, Asami felt. The white plaster walls reflected the bright sunlight while the bay breeze tempered the high noon heat to create a comfortable median which the inner city lacked. Standing within the shade of the courtyard's wooden arcade with her elbows leaned on the railing and her girlfriend close at her side, Asami was remarkably comfortable and very willing to forget that she still had responsibilities and a company to run back on the mainland. For the moment she was among good company, surrounded by the airbender family while they watched Bumi attempt to recreate his marvelous trick, and enjoying a beautifully carefree afternoon. She had full intentions of allowing the moment to last as long as possible, and then fate interrupted it for her.

Her ex-boyfriend, along with police chief Lin Beifong, appeared on the tile walkway up from the island dock and neither officer looked particularly pleased. Asami could feel Korra tense beside her as the two marched forward to explain the reason for their visit, and she snuck a sidelong glance at the Avatar to mark her reaction. Neither of them had seen much of Mako since they'd left the South Pole a few weeks ago and she wasn't entirely sure how comfortable it would be to talk to him now. She was aware that the breakup had been amicable, if a bit emotionally draining, but she also knew that Korra had once dumped her for the firebender and that had certainly created a reasonable amount of caution on her part when it came to Mako. And of course, there was that jealousy streak of hers.

Lin's unexpected claim that another airbender had been discovered in the city, however, startled whatever protective musings had been going through the engineer's mind.

Tenzin took a step towards Lin, eagerness rushing through him so obviously that it ruffled his robes. "Where is he?" He asked at once.

Mako's expression pulled sideways and he scrubbed at the back of his neck. "Well, he sort of blew a door down on me and ran off. But, we have an 'A.P.B' out for him now and it's only a matter of time till he's found."

Korra hopped on her heels suddenly and Asami could see that the excitement was spreading like a virus among the airbenders and Avatar. "Oh, we can help you look for him! Do you have any leads?"

He wavered, hemming on a response and everyone in the vicinity inwardly groaned at the palatable awkwardness radiating from the young detective. "Oh... well... we should probably leave this one to the police, you know? It's just that it's police business. It's um..." he coughed into his gloved hand. "An official police investigation."

Asami resisted rolling her eyes, but then Korra took a step towards him and caused her skin to positively prickle with that nasty little propensity of hers.

"All right," the Avatar trailed slowly, peering at him. "I haven't seen you in a while... are you okay? You really are welcome to stay here with Bolin. It's not any trouble."

Asami recognized that it was a invitation made in good will and the Avatar's general need to help not only the downtrodden but good friends as well. She knew that Korra saw Mako as a strong friend and teammate. She also knew that the girl was obviously crazy about her... but none of that registered as she took a very firm step to stand directly beside Korra and arch a brow down at Mako, as if daring him to accept the offer to sleep within one hundred yards of her girlfriend. The boy certainly caught the look, but whether or not he realized it was a warning wasn't entirely clear.

"No, no. That's fine... I'm fine at the police station. But um, yeah. So, I should probably get back to work. Gotta... escort the chief." He coughed again and looked away, giving the airbenders a proper nod farewell. He tried to nod to Korra and Asami too. "So. As you were." Seemingly out of stalling gestures, he suddenly clicked his heels to attention and gave them both a very formal salute before realizing the ridiculousness of his mistake partway-through. "Ladies," he flushed and left-faced to marched after Lin, and Asami and Korra shared a glance before the heiress had to push a hand over her mouth to keep from erupting into audible laughter.

"Asami!" Korra hissed at her, close to falling to pieces as well. She grabbed her and pulled her quickly aside behind one of the timber pillars right before loosing her self restraint. The two stood grasping one another and heaving with repressed giggles under the awning. "What... what is wrong with him?"

Asami wiped at her eyes, which were brimming with tears. "Oh, that poor guy. He's going to make such a good cop."

"He called us ladies!" Korra leaned back against the pillar, gradually re-composing herself. "At least he didn't try to call us 'young ladies', I guess."

Asami shook her head and straightened with a sigh. "I don't think even Tarrlok tried to call you 'young lady'," she pointed out as they started to go and rejoin the airbenders, who were talking animatedly among themselves by this point. New airbenders popping up around the city was certainly well-worth getting excited over.

Korra gave her a mean little grin. "Tarlokk was stupid, but he wasn't that stupid," she rolled her shoulders and started to stretch upright, giving a half a moment's glance of the toned flesh of her stomach beneath the hem of her tunic and Asami looked purposefully away before her mind started to travel along those lines. "So, do you want to go?"

"Hmm?" She mumbled, distracted despite herself, before realization struck. "Oh, to look for the airbender?"

"Yeah, I figure we have all afternoon to beat the police to it."

Asami pulled a pocket watch from her jacket and glanced at it a moment. "Okay, but just for a few hours." She did have a company to run, after all.

Korra gave her a growing grin as they started down the walkway. "You have someplace better to be?"

"Not at all," she answered with a smooth smile of her own.

* * *

"Korra, that's the brake," Asami groaned with feigned patience as the car shuddered to a sudden stop in the middle of the road. "Try easing up on the clutch some."

"Oh..." Korra hastily moved her foot to what felt like an identically shaped pedal, grimacing. She appreciated that Asami was wanting to teach her how to drive and in her own specially designed satomobile, no less... but the grandeur of the car just made her even more nervous to be behind the wheel. Asami loved her cars, and Korra was well aware that it was only the heiress' affection for her that kept her from kicking her on the curb for the way the clutch shrieked angrily under the Avatar's clumsy hand. In an attempt to make light of the moment, she suddenly lifted up her chin and gave Asami a stern, formal salute. The heiress stared back at her before bursting into bubbling laughter.

Korra laughed too and eased onto the gas, trying to get a feel for the engine. She generally understood what Asami meant about the resistance when she needed to shift gears but she always seemed to try shifting too soon or too late. Finding that 'sweet-spot' in between was the struggle, but maybe learning to drive was going to be like learning to airbend. It would just take a delicate balance.

"How much longer do you think it's going to be like pulling teeth to talk to Mako?" She asked as they began to cruise along, somewhere around ten miles an hour and irritating the hell out of the dairy truck behind them. It was just after noon and the city streets were't terribly busy, making it a good enough time for a new driver to learn the basics.

Asami shrugged and from the corner of her eye Korra could see how her black locks fettered prettily into the city breeze. "I've always said that Mako's not very in-tune with his feelings. It's easier for him to bottle it all up... but it won't always be so weird. Breakups are just hard, at first."

She frowned a bit, eyes on the asphalt. "Did you know that we actually broke up when I left for the Fire Nation?"

She didn't see the way Asami squirmed in the passenger seat. "Yeah... everyone kinda knew."

Korra's cheeks burned as she imagined how she'd behaved on her return to Republic City: rushing into Mako's arms, cuddling with him on Varrick's ship south... and in front of all of her friends who were just too polite or too awkward to correct her.

"Well, that's pretty damn embarrassing."

"Actually..." Asami started to twist deeper into her seat, combing a hand through her billowing hair and this time Korra certainly noticed. "I should have already told you this but I was just so upset with myself over it... I kind of kissed Mako while you were gone."

Her brows rose as she looked over at her, easing off the gas to maintain a cautious speed. Then, for some reason, she laughed. "Wow. I guess that's why he's so nervous around us."

"Wait, you're not mad at me?" Asami sounded absolutely incredulous but Korra just shrugged. The thought of Asami and Mako was ridiculous, and more than anything it made her disappointed in Mako rather than the heiress.

"No. We weren't together and I wasn't even around. And, I mean, I did kiss Mako when you two were going out and that's even worse."

Asami's brows angled sharply upwards and then narrowed together so dangerously that Korra could feel the edge of her jade glare. "You did what?"

The fear that flashed through the Avatar could have been comparable to standing face to face with Amon all over again. What had she just done?

"Oh spirits, Asami I thought you knew! I'm so sorry!" Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit...

Just as quickly as the danger appeared, it dissipated as Asami slumped casually back into the scarlet leather of her seat. "I'm just messing with you. Bolin told me about that forever ago."

Korra blinked and then gave a nervous chuckle. "Oh, good. Well, after everything that's happened with him, I'm just glad that... you know," she glanced from the road to Asami, wanting to do that thing where she was honest about her feelings, unlike a certain firebender she knew. "It didn't end up keeping us apart. The truth is that even if we were just friends I would have been happy. I've never had a gal friend to hangout with and talk to, except for Naga," she added with an awkward smirk. "But this... us. It's really nice." It was more than nice, it was absolutely wonderful but try as hard as she could, she wasn't able to eloquently put that feeling into proper words.

Asami tilted her head, looking as if she were about to share the sentiment, but then something on the road ahead caught her attention and she grasped the door as if for dear life.

"Vine, vine!"

Korra's attention snapped back to the road, where there was indeed an engorged tangle of vines creeping right into the city street, cutting off the roadway. Korra slammed the brake but could feel that momentum of the car was already too much to stop in time and she whipped the wheel around to the left, turning the entire car into a sudden parallel halt. She gripped the steering wheel so tightly that she could feel the leather stitching rubbing into her fingers as she prepared for Asami's reprimand, but her girlfriend was surprisingly calm... until she half-screamed.

"Hey!" A rotund rodent-like spirit appeared on the massive vine, easily six feet tall at the tips of its tapered ears. "Why don't you watch where you're going!"

Asami threw a hand over her mouth as she stared at the spirit, but the thing had now pissed Korra off. No one was getting away with frightening Asami, and no spirit was going to talk to her like that in her own city. She shot to her feet, leaning one foot on the car door and pointing an aggressive finger at the spirit.

"Why don't you get out of the middle of the road?" She demanded.

"Hey, you're the one who made the world like this, Avatar. I'm just living in it, along with everyone else."

She snorted back, trying to be calm. Getting angry with spirits never did anyone any good and she knew that first hand. "Look," she began again, more low-key. "I want spirits to be able to live here too but these vines are causing huge problems in the city."

The spirit shrugged and started to put its prickly back to her. "Spirits? Vines? What's the difference? Something the Avatar should know."

Korra glowered at his back as he waddled into the viney undergrowth but then she slumped, defeated, into the car.

"You okay?" Asami asked, reaching to squeeze her hand.

The Avatar pursed her lips, scowling as she considered what the spirit had said... and an idea began to form at the edges of her mind. "Actually, I think I might know how to get rid of these vines after all..." she looked back at Asami, who was mildly waiting for her to go on. "I'll need a lot of water though. Let's head to the canal on Parktree street."

Asami tilted her head, wincing. "I can drive you there, sweetheart, but I can't stick around."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I've barely been in the office in almost two days..."

"Oh," Korra grimaced. "Sorry. I guess I've been hogging all of your time."

Asami shook her head and smiled. "Trust me, I'd rather be hanging out with you. But ever since you made that announcement about 'Future Industries being an invaluable help during Harmonic Convergence', a lot of retailers are starting to trust me and my company again. It's been pretty busy."

"Hey, that's a good thing," she grinned and squeezed Asami's hand back. "Did you make a big sale or something?" She started to put the car back in drive and turn out of the dead-end that the street had become.

Asami's lips twisted into a smug smirk. "We just finished a major prototype, in fact. I think it's going to make a big difference soon but I need to go sign off on a bunch of contracts."

"Oooh, what is it?" She asked as she headed towards a side street which she hoped would lead them to where she was wanting to go, though still not fast enough to get out of first gear.

Asami shrugged playfully. "It's kind of a surprise. You'll flip when you see it... Korra ease off the clutch."

"What? Oh, sorry!"

* * *

Asami stood leaning over her desk, staring at the most recent file of documents which had just been bustled in by her pencil-mouthed secretary, and blew a wary puff of air out of her cheeks. She was pleased to finally have business, but the workload was quickly getting to her. She knew that the way it piled up on her had been her own fault for spending so much of her free-time with Korra instead of making a real attempt to get ahead. If she had taken just a few nights of her week to catch up she wouldn't have quite so much to do in the office, but Korra was pretty impossible for the heiress to resist. Even after having spent most of the day before and that afternoon and morning with the Water Tribe girl, Asami already missed her companionship... along with her warm, spiced scent and her full, brazen laughter.

Even thinking of her caused Asami to smile in a soft, whimsical way as she looked down at her next stack of contracts and she relaxed back into her chair to begin. The sooner she was finished, the sooner she could get home and ring Korra up. Maybe it wouldn't be too late to get together for a nightcap if she hurried.

"Miss Sato?" Her secretary appeared at the door again, dressed in a yellow coat and matching cloche hat. "Do ya need anythin else before I head out?"

Asami looked at the older woman in surprise and then swiveled in her chair to check the light outside her window, only to realize that the street lights had come on. "Oh no," she groaned and looked back at her. "It's already this late? I'm sorry, Su. I didn't mean to keep you."

The woman waved her apology away. "It's okay, I'm used to it really. Your father used to get so distracted working that he'd be up in here till midnight, scribblin away. I'd have to come in and shoo him home or he'd sleep in his chair," she chuckled and Asami gave her a grimace of a smile. She appreciated the sentiment but did not want to be compared to her father. Su cleared her throat and sobered. "I'll need to catch the trolly home now though. Don't mind me scolding, I know you're not a child, but you should go on home too. Want me to call your car 'round?"

She shook her head. "There's a lot I still need to do. I'll be fine here though, really. Have a good night, Su."

The secretary huffed a bit but nodded and waved. "Goodnight, Miss Sato," and then she disappeared down the hall. Asami pursed her lips and opened the first set of files, then clicked on her table lamp and the radio as well. The evening news would be on and the soft droning would be comforting... or so she thought.

"-fall from the Silk Road Bridge, the Avatar just barely managing to save the man in question. Bad news followed however when President Raiko announced that the Avatar has been officially banished from Republic City! I've got street correspondent Jong-yul on the horn here. Jong-yul, can you tell us exactly what it was that happened on the bridge?"

"Hi Shiro, Jong-yul here. I was fortunate to be on the scene when the President made his announcement and, yowzer, let me tell you that the Avatar had a heck of a bad day. First the incident on Parktree, then the suicide attempt with this new 'airbender' fella, and now she's been exiled right out of Avatar Aang's city. It's good riddance, Shiro, that's this reporter's opinion."

"Why do you say that, Jong-yul?"

"Well, I don't have to tell the listeners how the vines attacking the city is all the Avatar's fault, but now she's talkin people into hoppin off bridges and I don't see how anyone's safe. The President's plum fed up with it and finally seein fit to do something about it!"

"Do you think the Avatar will fight to remain in Republic City?"

"Reports are comin in that the Avatar does in fact intend to leave the city, Shiro. When that'll be remains a debate, but she was seen returning to Air Temple Island with former councilor Tenzin."

"Thank you, Jong-yul. Well, folks, we'll have word from Presi-" Asami cut off the incoming and simply stared at the radio box, dumbfounded. Raiko had actually kicked the Avatar out of the Republic? And Korra was just going to leave? She couldn't' decide if she was furious or stunned and continued to stare at the radio for several more moments before settling back into her chair with a huff. She lay two fingers under her lips, looking at the high-backed sofa in the corner of the office. The fabric was in a heavily embroidered trellis pattern, gold on crimson, and caught the lamp light in a soft shimmer. She watched the way the light played on the fine fabric as she contemplated what she'd just heard, attempting to first decide her feeling towards the entire event before choosing a reaction. She determined that her first question should be why she had to learn of this over the news instead from Korra. Why hadn't the Avatar called her? Surely she could have spared a few min-

A knock on the window behind her startled Asami right out of her chair, and she twisted with one hand upraised to block and the other low for an attack. Standing on the window ledge of her third story office was, amazingly, Korra herself. The woman held her glider staff in one hand and was motioning to the window latch with the other.

"Hey," her muffled voice came through the glass. "Little help?"

Asami rushed to unhitch the latch and swing the pane glass inwards, allowing the girl to hop easily onto the floor. "Thanks. Sorry if I scared you, I wasn't sure if I should come through the door. Didn't want the security guard to have a fit."

Some security guard, if he didn't notice a woman flying up the front facade of the building.

The heiress sighed at her, shaking her head with exasperation. "Korra, I just heard the news. How did you get exiled from the city!?"

Korra winced and shuffled around the table, her fingers exploring the items on Asami's oversized desk with distraction. "Raiko's just looking to save face. He can't fix the vine problem, and if anyone asked then they'd remember that he probably could have avoided Vaatu from ever coming to Republic City in the first place if he had just sent troops to the South like I told him to. Tenzin says that getting rid of me makes it look like he's doing something to help the city."

"But you're the only one who can get rid of the vi-" Asami's argument was curtailed as she ran her fingers back through her hair, her frustration quickly growing and sharpening her tone. She wanted to remain calm, but now her mind was racing towards other consequences of Raiko's decision to exile the Avatar. "Now you're just going to leave?"

Korra looked up at her, and her expression was surprisingly optimistic. "Well, I can't stay here. But if Harmonic Convergence opened up airbending in all of these people, then someone needs to go and find them. So..."

"So, you're leaving me." Asami finished for her, bitterly, and pursed her lips to swallow back any threat of tears. She wasn't about to cry over Korra, not again, but the girl's surprised stare startled her. Swiftly, Korra hurried around the table to grab her arms.

"What? No way! Asami, I came here to ask you come with me."

Well, that was unexpected.

"Come with you?" She repeated, eyes flicking between the water-blue ones staring up at her.

"Yeah," she smiled softly. "I can't leave Republic City without you. I mean, I know it's a lot to ask because you have your work here, but maybe if I'm gone for a little while then everyone will see how much better off they are when I'm around and invite me to come back..." she hesitated at Asami's blank expression. "But if you can't then I'll figure out something else. I'm pretty sure I can still stay on Air Temple-"

Asami cut her off as she surged suddenly forward, grasping for Korra's lips with her own while her hands came up to cup the other woman's cheeks and hold her firm. The Avatar melted easily into her, and then her lips began to move in time while Asami ventured forward with her tongue. She stepped into Korra, who held her ground a moment before moving backwards against the desk. Papers shuffled and crashed audibly to the floor as they fell back onto the table but Asami was thoughtless to the mess or missed work. Her only concern, her only want in that moment was this woman who wouldn't leave without her. No one had ever been willing to actually make a sacrifice for her sake, and the fluttering warmth of being important enough to Korra to keep her in a place where she wasn't even wanted was enough to banish all of the old worries from Asami's mind and heart. She loved Korra, she'd always loved her, and she knew firmly that Korra loved her too.

As she climbed atop the other woman, her fingers reaching for pieces of cloth to tug off of them both, Asami was certain that she was finally ready to open up the intimacy between them. She had been worried that to bridge the gap before Korra knew what she wanted would only risk confusing one or both of them, but it was clear to her then that the Avatar was going to be as stubborn about her as she was about everything else, and that was what Asami wanted. Unbeknownst to Korra, for once she had said exactly the right thing.

* * *

 _Author's note: Next time, Korra and Asami have to set up some ground rules_


	3. Chapter 3

The airship which Asami brought for the team to use was in a word: incredible. The massive zeppelin was developed by the engineer and her top research team to incorporate the speed and utility of an airship with all the class and elegance of a luxury cruise liner. Seven sets of cylindrical propellers on either side of the vessel moved it smoothly along the air currents while the helium-filled gas bags could be alternated to give her quiet rise and fall. The entire ship was at the apex of design, from the sweeping curves of the top deck to the delicately arched windows in the main cabin. Vaulted ceilings, twenty feet high in some parts, gave a sense of light and weightlessness despite the rigidity of the hull, and the vessel glided so smoothly that it was often easy to forget the fact that they were cruising along a thousand feet above land.

Tenzin, Jinora, Korra, Asami, Bolin, and after some convincing, Mako, all fit comfortably on board along with the Future Industries crew hired to guide them and there was even space for Oogie and Naga to lounge around on the top-deck, though Naga was woefully bored.

The ship was in fact the grand surprise which Asami had been waiting to unveil, and after learning about the Avatar's plans she had little difficulty writing off the venture as a test run of her newest prototype, with the added bonus of making it into a terrific marketing stunt. People all over the Earth Kingdom were going to see her luxury airship and in a few months when she started to market them publicly she could just imagine the entrepreneurs desperate to buy a vessel for their own airlines.

Yes, events were working out remarkably well for Asami Sato: She had optimism for her company, an amazing girlfriend, and at least a month's worth of vacation time to spend with her while sightseeing all over the continent. The heiress was quite pleased with life in general, and then Korra blew her skirt up.

It wouldn't have really bothered her so much if it weren't for the fact that they were just getting up from dinner with the rest of the guests, which was to say that everyone at the table saw the whole thing. Korra insisted that it had been an accident; a 'miscalculation' on her part when trying to clear the table, but the miscalculation had wound up giving Bolin a direct line of sight at Asami's black silk panties and she could have throttled Korra for it.

"Asami, c'mon you know I didn't mean to," the Avatar insisted in a hoarse whisper, following after her down the sage-carpeted passageway as she made for her room on the first deck. Chic-nuveau ceiling fixtures created a muted ambiance along the hall, making up for the lack of portholes this deep into the interior of the ship.

Asami sighed and stopped her marching, then turned to look at her girlfriend with a pinched scowl. Korra's pathetically earnest features managed to soften her temper and she relented, hating how quickly the girl could get under her skin.

"Okay," she harrumphed. "Just, forget about it."

"Really?" Korra looked hopefully up at her and Asami couldn't resist a small smirk.

"Yeah, it's not that big of a deal I guess. It's just a little bit of underwear."

Korra grinned and took a step closer, leaning her chin up to steal a soft kiss. "It's very nice underwear," she whispered and then her impish grin made its appearance. "We should see it again."

Before Asami realized just what that puckish glint in Korra's eye implied, the girl flipped her hand up and a gust of air bent directly up Asami's skirt, blowing the tailored red polyester up around her hips.

"Korra!" Asami shrieked and shoved her hands down to cover herself while the Avatar leaned against the bulwark, laughing heartily.

"Okay, okay," she wheezed. "That one was on purpose."

"It's not funny!" She hissed back and whipped around, patent leather heels stomping with style for her cabin at the end of the hall.

Korra's heavier steps fell behind her as she hurried to keep up, still chuckling. "It was just a joke, Asami. No one saw!"

"Yeah well you're not seeing either," she quipped and opened the cabin door only to slam it almost on Korra's nose. Two moments later and she could hear her girlfriend leaning on the other side.

"Are you really not going to let me in?" She asked, her voice damped by the door and full of feeble remorse.

Asami cut a sigh and turned to glare at the door, a hand on her hip. It wasn't locked but Korra respected her privacy enough to know better than to charge in without permission. "No, you're being a brat."

Korra tapped on the door with what sounded like a single finger, making herself sound as apologetic as possible. "It was just a joke. I'll be good, I promise."

The engineer shook her head at herself but gave in and opened the door, letting Korra skip happily inside to flop immediately on the cabin bed, kicking off her boots and making herself comfortable. Asami's was one of four first class suites, featuring a very small parlor complete with fainting couch and chairs, then a half-room divider on the other side of which was her bed and chest of drawers. Two portholes filled the room with the dying sunset on the starboard side and a small washroom was situated just to the left of her bed. The cabin was decorated in greens and neutrals, which her marketing team thought would be the most relaxed color choice, but since it was her suite, she had added a few crimson pillows just to feel more at home.

"You're not sleeping in here," Asami pointed out, walking to the chest of drawers to pull off her dinner jacket so that it could be neatly folded away.

Korra sat up to look at her, lips pulled into a sidelong pout. "Why don't you ever want me to sleep in your bed?"

In the week since they had begun being intimate (all over the desk, floor, and sofa of Asami's office) Korra and Asami had been spending their time together in the Avatar's bed, down the hall. A few different times things had heated between them while lounging in Asami's room but the heiress always managed to either pause or artfully direct them back to Korra' cabin instead. She didn't think that the Water Tribe girl had noticed, but it was apparent that Korra had been more observant than she gave her credit for. The heiress exhaled and turned to regard her, arms crossed around her chest in a very old habit. She wondered for a moment if there was a chance they could avoid the coming conversation with some sort of distraction, but reflected that it was bound to come eventually, one way or another.

"It's not like I don't want you to," she explained slowly, feeling a budding guilt in her stomach. She looked towards the washroom, trying to think of how to word her response. "It's just that... you don't really have the same space needs that I do."

Korra blinked back at her, eyebrows furrowed together. "Wait, what?"

Asami dropped her hands. "You don't care about sharing a locker room with sweaty boys and you don't mind living in a dormitory with a bunch of other people and you sleep with a polar-bear dog half the time. I can't do that." She shrugged, squirming slightly with her unease. "I need someplace to go where there's no one around and..." she trailed, helpless, while Korra's brow lifted and then lowered again. She looked down at her lap and tugged at a loose thread of her trousers, subdued.

"And, you don't want me in your room."

"Sweetheart," she groaned and stepped towards the bed, slipping onto the coverlet to grab Korra's hand. "That's not it. It's just a little different for me. It's something I need to get used to and sometimes I worry about there being too much new stuff too fast. I want you in bed with me, I really do..." she squeezed the bronze-toned hand in hers, trailing her thumb along Korra's knuckles. "Maybe if we start in small doses," she suggested suddenly and looked up at Korra, who had grown stiff as an automatic defense.

"I don't want you to force yourself to sleep with me."

"Korra, it's not like that. I've slept with you every night for over a week. It's not about being with you, its about you being..." she waved at the cabin. "In my space." She straightened, and made a silent decision then and there. They were going to be in close quarters for the remainder of the trip, and it would be simpler to get this out of the way now before it festered.

Asami was a single child who had grown up with not only her own room, toys, books and clothes but practically her own house, all to herself. Her father had been wealthy enough to arrange for her to have her own dormitory at boarding school and she'd had the luxury of getting away with whatever she wanted as the bosses' daughter when she worked at Future Industries over her summers. In short, she had never been trained to share or co-habitate and the concept was nerve-wracking even in small doses. The few times she had allowed Mako to stay in her room had been more out of curiosity than desire and she'd quickly found that despite the novelty of a bedmate, a roommate was far outside of her comfort.

This situation however was very different and much more important, and when Asami's engineer mind saw a problem it immediately strove to develop a solution.

"Let's try an experiment."

Korra tilted her head, skeptical. "Like what?"

"Like, you sleep in here tonight... with a few rules."

"...All right," she agreed warily and Asami could tell that the word had Korra suspicious. "What kind of rules?"

She considered this for a moment. What was her biggest fear with having someone staying in her space?

"Rule one, you have to wash up before you come to bed."

"What!" Korra shot upright, flabbergasted. "What are you trying to say?!"

Asami lifted her chin, refusing to let this escalate into a full blown fight. "I'm saying that you spend half the day with a polarbear-dog and I don't want Naga-dirt all over my bed," she defended and after a stunned moment, Korra slumped back into her pillows.

"Ok," she conceded, grumbling some. "That's fair. I guess. What's the next rule?"

"Don't throw your things around," at once she held up a finger to cut off Korra's immediate protest. "I've seen your room, Avatar. If you're going to stay the night in here, you need to be a little more neat."

"All right," she harrumphed, putting up her hands. "Fold clothes; check."

"Good… and when I'm at my desk I need peace and quiet. It's just how I work and that's very important to me."

"Okay, I can do that. Anything else?"

"Yes..." Asami wet her lips and then gave Korra a very small smile. This last had actually been a secretly held desire of hers for a while. "I want to brush your hair."

Korra hadn't been expecting that, and her cocked brow was proof. "What? Why?"

"Because you never do," she responded with a teasing lilt. Korra had such lovely, soft brown hair but it was always in a tangled mess and so casually cared for. Asami liked the Water Tribe girl's relaxed sense of style and she'd never try to force her into a makeover, but she did itch to see her hair smoothed and silky for once.

Korra rolled her eyes and slumped in defeat into Asami's pillows. "Fiiiiiine," she moaned. "So, basically I need to be clean and neat and sometimes quiet and you'll be okay with me sleeping in here?"

Asami's lips twisted into a grin and she crawled a bit closer, laying a hand on Korra's knee. "Think you can manage that?" She asked, her voice low and purposefully velvety to draw Korra closer.

The tactic appeared to be effective, because the Water Tribe girl started to relax under her hand. "Yeah," she agreed and bent forward to curl her fingers up into Asami's hair. The woman shut her eyes, enjoying the simple sensation of Korra's closeness and her low, vibrant heat. They both drifted closer, till noses lined against one another and breaths caught between them and Asami decided that this would perhaps be a pleasant experiment after all.

* * *

Korra was glad that Asami felt comfortable enough with her to attempt to bridge her privacy issues by letting her stay in her room, and she felt like she must have been very special to the heiress if Asami was willing to make such an effort... however, she also felt like Asami could stand to loosen up, just a smidgen. Her rules weren't very harsh, but they were rigid, and Asami was determined to make sure Korra followed them to a 'T'. The Water Tribe girl had to fold up her clothes each night (unless they were tossed away in a moment of distracted passion) and make sure to bathe before crawling into bed (which really wasn't such an effort) and then most nights, Asami would sit behind her on the bed and comb her wolftails and errant bangs while they talked (something which Korra was quickly starting to enjoy). Korra adhered to the rules out of respect and affection for her girlfriend, but rules had never been her 'thing' and she couldn't help feeling that they gave her an excuse to mess with Asami... just a little bit.

Having noticed how easily the heiress ruffled when she was being teased with airbending, Korra started to make a game of it.

At first, it was easy to come up with accidental gusts of wind: like when they were heading onto the top deck and a Korra bent a wisp of current into Asami's blouse, quick to blame the unpredictable weather. She found a few opportunities while joining Asami in inspecting the interior of the turbine mechanisms in the upper chamber, and she even grew so bold as to tussle Asami's towel off of her when the heiress exited the washroom one evening. This last did not end quite as romantically as she was hoping and Korra spent the rest of the evening being given a cool shoulder, though she still managed to charm her way into curling around Asami after lights out. Despite her insistence that all the rampant wind was merely a coincidental circumstance of traveling via airship, Asami was not obviously fooled.

"Korra, it's not funny anymore. If you up my skirt one more time, you're going to wish you never learned airbending," she threatened with a tone and posture that left no room for doubt, and Korra fully believed her. Asami had a rather playful sense of humor, when she was the one playing, however being the butt of a joke wasn't a part of her sensible nature.

The Avatar decided, wisely, that she should probably leave well enough alone before she really rubbed Asami the wrong way after all. Instead, she took to concentrating some of her extra energy on Bolin and Mako instead, who were equally as bored after two weeks on the airship. The former ProBenders had been spending the better half of their afternoon sparring together in a three-way match on the ship's top deck and things were becoming a bit hectic as the brothers started to team together against the Avatar.

Mako bent a length of fire-whip to snap in a burst of embers at either side of Korra, keeping her on her toes while Bolin's square blocks of earth swung around at her at a constant interval. She knew that the boys wouldn't be going so hard on her if they weren't sure that she could take it, however she was still growing frustrated with only a few gallons of water on hand to use against them. Her arms and feet moved constantly to keep the water flowing into glistening tendrils but the brothers had finally moved her to the defensive and she didn't care for it.

Korra realized that she was getting sloppy when a tail of flame licked at the toe of her boot and she twisted back on her left foot to escape just as she noticed Bolin's second boulder shooting for her knee. The boys were aiming to take out her feet to bring her down, but she only had enough water to deflect one of the attacks and not enough time to dodge the other. Led by a surge of instinct, Korra shot a formed geyser of water through Mako's fire-whip directly at the bender, while with her other hand she rotated an arch of wind to throw Bolin's attack to the side. The attacks worked, but there with one minor unforeseen contingency.

Just as Korra blew back the boulders, Asami rounded the corner of the deck, focused on a stack of fresh documents in her hands. The surge of wind knocked back the stone but slammed into the heiress as well, and the papers burst from her hands and into the updraft.

"Korra!" Asami screeched, appalled, and the entire deck became excruciatingly quiet as three sets of eyes widened and then swiveled around at one another while the documents wavered in the wind and began to dance overboard.

'Oh shit,' Korra groaned internally and ran for where her glider was leaned against the railing. She mashed the mechanism which sprung the staff's wings and leapt off the starboard side to catch the upwards draft, which pulled her a quick ten yards above the ship. She gripped the center of the glider for balance and bent a rush of air around the tailfin of the device, aiming herself downwards among the drifting funnel of papers as if her very life depended on it, which in a way it did. Asami was going to kill her for losing her notes!

"Korra, Korra!" Bolin was dancing about on the deck, hands up to try and help collect anything still floating around but she could already see a few pieces falling earthward beneath the ship's hull. She moaned angrily and worked another burst of air beneath the tail fin to rotate herself upside down and then plummeted past the ship with a hand outstretched. Bronze fingers grasped one shred of paper and then she twisted to swoop up beneath the curve of the hull to snatch two more pages.

'Is that all?' She wondered, desperately, only to find her hopes dashed when a flicker behind the ship caught her eye. 'Crap.'

The Avatar growled and then set her jaw, eyes bursting a brief white as the Avatar State rocketed her back behind the stern. She only barely managed to catch that last floating note before it started to flutter downwards and then she pulled the glider upwards to make a massive, thrilling somersault above the ship and back down again. She blinked away the Avatar Spirit and landed on her toes on the deck, holding a wad of torn and wrinkled papers.

'Man, oh man,' she winced, anxiously standing well out of Asami's striking range. Her girlfriend was still a very well-trained martial artist, after all.

"Asami, I'm so sorry!" She insisted and hesitantly held her fist-full of tattered papers out to her. "It was an accident!"

The heiress stood with her weight on one accentuated hip, arms crossed over her black double-breasted coat and cool green gaze leveled on her. "It's fine," she retorted shortly and lifted her chin. "They were for you anyway," she added and a ghost of a smirk tugged at her red lips before she turned and sauntered back below towards the promenade. Korra's brow twisted together and Bolin came to stand over her shoulder, staring in equal confusion at the mess of papers in her hand. Looking at them properly, she saw that they were each blank, but for one printed word. The earthbender took the stack and studied the collage a moment, then rearranged a few and put them back in Korra's hands. In the new order, they read,

 _Quit._

 _Airbending._

 _At._

 _Me._

Korra blinked and looked up at Bolin, whose heavy eyebrows rose in excitement. One hand flew over his mouth while the other pointed a squat finger at her.

"Oooh!" He jeered. "She got you good!"

The Water Tribe girl grinned slowly and then chuckled as she looked back at the papers which she had chased through the sky so frantically. "Yeah. She got me really good."

* * *

 _Author's Note: Asami just seemed the Type A type, and Type A's and Type B's have to be willing to have some give and take together_

 _Next time, Korra and Asami have_ a lot _of alone time._


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: This post will be M for Mature due to explicit (romantic) content. Please read at your discretion._

* * *

Asami Sato was on her way to the airship's state-of-the-art galley, meaning to check on the week's menu. She needed to know if stores were holding up as well as the ship's cook had promised they would and if not then make appropriate changes on the itinerary, but she was distracted from her mental checklist when she saw Korra coming towards her from the opposite end of the otherwise deserted passageway. The Avatar was dressed in her usual day-wear of tunic and trousers, and appeared pleasantly surprised to see her. She grinned goofily around a half-cored apple, a signal which Asami mimicked, and then silently stepped to her right to give the heiress room to walk past her. For some unknown reason, Asami felt the need to move to her left, essentially blocking Korra's intended path. Korra, some ten yards away still, stalled and sidestepped again. Still smirking, Asami did too. The Avatar narrowed her eyes and crouched some, swaying to the right once more and Asami moved in time, but before she could step forward the Avatar grinned jauntily and turned on her heel, sprinting suddenly back towards the galley and for no other reason than the fact that Korra was running, Asami took off after her.

"Hey!" She shouted, laughing, as they started to race down the narrow hall and then Korra vanished through a hatchway. Asami wasn't easily outdone however and she stooped to turn after her. They entered into the white-tiled ship's kitchen and she could see Korra leap cat-like over a counter for the opposite door, stunning a poor kitchenhand. The heiress swerved the counter and lost a few yards but once in the next hall she quickly gained on the other girl. "You can't outrun me, Korra," she blithely insisted, catching pace as they closed in on the catwalk above the ship's main parlor, making for the bridge.

"Don't have to," Korra threw back over her shoulder and then jumped and twisted her way over the edge of the railing, using a gust of air to soften her landing on the floor below. She turned to grin up at Asami, and even stuck out her tongue. "Let's see you pull that off, 'Miss Future Industries'," she teased and then took off for a doorway to the promenade. Asami didn't even pause long enough to rise to the jeer, and instead raced back down the passageway and past the galley to make a sharp left out of a door that spilled her onto the sun-bathed deck. She looked around but only saw Jinora and Bolin playing on top of Oogie at the far end of the deck, and no sign yet of the Avatar.

Warry now, she bit her lip and crouched slightly as she slunk under the deck's eves, eyes flitting about for sign of her intended quarry. She skirted a few lounge chairs and began to peer around corners but Korra was nowhere in sight, and she was starting to wonder if the girl had ducked back inside when a closet door opened just behind her.

"Tag!" Korra yelled with delight and wrapped around Asami's middle, tugging her backwards and into the closet with her.

"Damnit," Asami giggled and attempted to pry Korra's hands off of her as the door swung closed, leaving them in a cramped storage closet with the only illumination coming from the small porthole of the door. "You cheated!"

"You're the one challenging the Avatar," Korra pointed out and loosened her grip enough so that Asami could twist to face her.

Suddenly the heiress was very aware of the fact that they were alone in the dark space of the closet, and that she could feel Korra's slight panting on her throat.

"So, you got me," she prompted, voice growing low as she watched Korra's dim features.

"Yeah," she agreed in a similarly thick tone, and then she began to meander closer. Intentionally, her lips took Asami's and she could smell that comforting, familiar bouquet of Korra's skin and wind-swept hair. Instantly, the heiress needed more than the smell of it and she lifted a hand into the girl's wolftails, cradling her face close as they absorbed one another's senses. Korra's tongue flicked into her mouth, almost tentatively, and Asami leaned forward to press fuller against her. The confined space was made smaller by the mops and crates of towels, as well as buckets and scrub brushes and a shelf full of various soaps. Aside from the cool darkness which the closet offered, it was hardly a comfortable place to be making out with her girlfriend in but, strangely, Asami didn't mind. Something about the unusual environment was vaguely appealing, though she was still taken by surprise when she felt Korra's mouth shift and land lower on her chest.

"Korra," she sighed, unsure, but the Avatar's hands were already kneading down her curves, hitching up her shirt to dig her fingers into the skin of her lower back. She started to tease at the waist of Asami's trousers, and the heiress shivered at the tactile feel of those strong fingers.

"I got you, right?" Korra reminded, a hint of typical mischievousness in that whisper. She rose back to Asami's mouth and the engineer felt her apprehension waver while Korra's hips lifted against hers. Unconsciously, she shifted her feet further apart and, clearly in-tune, Korra moved her thigh between to make easy contact with her center. Asami's sigh rose into a soft moan of want, which apparently only worked to embolden the brash Water Tribe girl. Her mouth lowered down her throat and then suddenly she vanished, dropping to her knees in front of Asami while her fingers began to work at the buttons of her jodhpurs.

"Oh," Asami cooed, worrying her bottom lip as her fingers started to thread back into Korra's hair as she debated. This was ridiculous, they'd made love that morning already, so why was she so excited now as Korra-

She purred into another moan as she felt those hot lips on the cusp of her mound and Korra actually groaned back at her, as if excited simply by the darkness of Asami's curls. She looked down the valley of her body at the woman kneeling in front of her and tugging down her trousers and panties to kiss along her lips, each touch sending a soft volt through her. They couldn't be doing this, Asami's higher thought insisted, not in a janitor's closet like a pair of horny teenagers.

'But we sort of are...' she considered just as Korra' tongue electrified her by flicking between her lower lips and the heiress arched upward slightly from the unexpected intensity.

Then, just outside the door, Asami heard a sound which caused her heart to skip another beat. Footsteps, and two pairs of them.

"Korra wait," she hissed but the Avatar ignored her, opening her mouth instead to arch her tongue upwards to Asami's taut pearl. She clenched down on a groan, half of her mind following the steps outside the door while the baser half was focused on the soft, wet warmth rolling against her.

Tenzin's voice... she could recognize it but not the words and she actually grabbed a fistful of Korra's hair to halt her.

"Stop," she mouthed, desperately, but in the faint light of the small porthole Korra only cocked a stubborn brow up at her and pressed a kiss to Asami's thigh. The gesture, small as it was, positively shivered through Asami. The engineer was utterly incapable of stopping her again as Korra drew nearer once more, and returned to her intimate, deep kissing while Asami's mind reeled. There were people nearby; someone could come open the closet door any minute and see them this way. It would be humiliating and awkward and so many other awful things but none of this made Korra's tongue feel any less incredible against her swollen sex. In fact, she only wanted more and as if reading her thoughts, Korra's pace began to hasten. Her arms linked around Asami's thighs, pushing her back on top a crate and lifting her hips towards the Avatar. Asami's mouth hung open, her eyes shut tight in defense to these rising waves of pleasure which her girlfriend was dragging through her, almost forcefully.

"N-n..." she stuttered, not wanting to climax like this in a storage closet, half in public, but the instant that she realized how dangerously close they were to be noticed she toppled over the edge of her orgasm and came with a gasping cry into her palms. Korra held to her tightly, not allowing her to escape as Asami's body spasmed with indecent pleasure. At the last, once her breathing started to level, Korra finally pulled away to leave damp kisses on her thighs and then grinned up at her with the full smug glow of a satisfied devil.

"What were you saying?" She wondered in a whisper and stood to wrap her arms back around Asami's waist. The heiress, exhausted and overwhelmed, simply laid her cheek on her shoulder.

"Don't you think that was a little… reckless," she asked, weakly. "We almost got caught."

"Asami, it's not like someone was going to come in here," Korra assured and kissed her neck. "No one cleans on this ship, but you. And me, when you make me." They were quiet a moment more as they both enjoyed Asami's afterglow, but then the Avatar started grinning again. "You know, I think you liked almost getting caught."

Asami jerked some, annoyed by the thought. "That's not true."

"Are you sure about that? You didn't exactly last long."

The heiress couldn't lie about the accuracy of the statement, but the thought made her scowl in reflection. Was her tendency for thrill-seeking actually bleeding into her sexual life? Was that a bad thing?

She sighed and kissed Korra, stroking her cheek with the backs of her fingers. "Let's just not make a habit of it," she tugged suddenly on the girl's wolftail and gave her a firm glower. "And next time I say stop, that means you stop."

Korra winced but chuckled. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry."

But they both knew that she wasn't.

* * *

Korra sat comfortably beside Asami on her girlfriend's bed, watching the heiress's fair, nude body settle from an orgasm which had almost alerted the ship's staff. They _really_ needed to find a way to keep the engineer quiet if she was going to make noises like that, and Korra had every intention of continuing to make Asami sing.

From under her pillow, Asami's voice wearily lifted enough to say, "You might be a pussybender."

Korra grinned hugely and shifted upright onto her knees, fists poised on her hips. "Only the Avatar can master all four elements, plus pussy."

Asami's body curled up into a fit of heaving giggles while Korra started to reach for her legs.

"NO don't you dare!" She beseeched but Korra managed to grasp an ankle.

"Asami, I have to train!" She insisted, laughing as she fought her way between her girlfriend's legs. "The Avatar needs to master pussybending!"

Asami's twittering was mingled with gasps of 'not yet' but soon shifted into another long peel of pleasure.

* * *

They were in Asami's bed and all they could hear was the perpetual drone of the airship as it coasted along through the crystal night. They'd excused themselves from the after-dinner activities early, both citing different reasons, and then rendezvoused in Asami's suite to eagerly undress and explore. Asami held Korra beneath her, nuzzling into the cloying heat of her throat while the Avatar writhed with soft anticipation, though Asami's wandering hands were only teasing. Tonight she did not feel her usual rush to finish each other with repetition and was actually surprised by a sense of patience settling in her chest. It felt as if she had all night to enjoy this half-feral beauty in her arms, and a thought occurred to her as she dragged her lips down Korra's shivering throat. Maybe tonight would be a good time for what she had been planning...

"Hey," she murmured, pulling from Korra and tossing her hair over a shoulder. "I have a surprise for you."

Korra appeared as if she were already surprised. "Really?"

She bit her lip and nodded with a secret grin. "It's... different," she began to shift off the other girl and in the subtle lamplight she was awarded with a stunning image of Korra's athletic, bronze body in Asami's rich blankets. She smirked greedily down at the other woman but finally turned away, while The Water Tribe girl leaned on an elbow to peer at her as she walked for her chest of drawers.

"You say that like you don't think I'll like it," Korra pointed out and Asami considered that as she pulled a carefully wrapped package from her linens drawer.

"I guess I'm _hoping_ you'll like it," she responded, faced away from her, as she pulled the paper apart to reveal a selection of garment straps. She collected these and began to dress herself, slipping the black fabric up around her pale hips and thighs, and then making adjustments as she saw fit. Korra was curiously quiet as she dressed, and she half wished that she'd make a joke simply to cut any of the building tension. She could feel Korra watching her, and somehow she just knew that it was with admiration rather than disdain; it was a strangely satisfying but frightening sense. She liked that Korra was attracted to her, but whereas she had felt smug over that attraction from others she only blushed under Korra's gaze. With Korra, her confidence felt half-faked.

Asami took a breath and turned to show Korra just what the surprise was, putting on an aloof expression to add to her faux image of certainty but she slightly deflated when Korra fell forward into an immediate fit of giggles.

"Wh-what is that?" She stuttered, leering with amused shock at the rubber phallus Asami had hitched to the front of her garment. Asami put a hand on her waist, knocking her hip to the side.

"It's a cock," she stated simply, as if Korra were being ridiculous.

"Where did you even _get_ that?"

"I made it."

Korra's laughing quieted. "...You're kidding, right?"

"No, I got the idea a while ago and thought I might make a subsidiary for novelties, in case I really couldn't start selling mechtanks. It's a prototype but it wasn't difficult to design. Just a silicone mold and some stitching, really."

Korra just shook her head and leaned her cheek on her fist, looking at her. "Well, take it off. It's in the way."

Asami resisted a heavy sigh and instead she took a step towards the bed. "Actually, I wanted to use it."

The girl's expression faltered. "Wait, what?"

Asami crawled on the bed into a kneel, the look on Korra's face making her pause. "I thought... we could use it together."

At once, Korra stiffened. She flicked her water-blue eyes from her to the toy in between them with growing apprehension. "I don't know, it seems weird."

"Weird?" She asked, genuinely perplexed.

"Yeah... I mean we're girls and that's like... like a guy thing."

Asami nodded slowly. She had expected Korra to laugh but she was surprised by her partner's general hesitation.

"It _is_ a guy thing," she teased a little and brushed a hand forward to Korra's. "But, I thought it might feel good. I mean, I can't really get that deep on my own." Korra blushed as crimson as Asami's pillows, something which Asami noted with interest. She tilted her chin as she had a flash of sudden insight. "Is this about Mako?"

She was aware that the two had been sleeping together, even if Korra never said as much. It had been clear that Korra wasn't a virgin when they began being intimate with one another, and there were few options as to why that would have been.

Korra groaned and heaved herself backwards into the pillows. "No," she grumbled and rubbed at her face. "I just... I didn't really have a great time with him, but I do have a really great time with you. I don't think we need to mess with that."

Asami was disappointed but she smiled, climbing onto her obviously distressed girlfriend. "Okay, sure," she agreed and began to kiss Korra's cheeks, wanting to put her back at ease. Her arms wrapped around the woman, holding her dearly while she kissed into her hair and after a moment Korra's arms laced about her back again; then she was fighting to find her lips. The heiress sighed with mixed relief and growing passion, glad to know that Korra didn't want to give up on their night over the awkwardness which the toy had created, but still she wondered why it made her so uncomfortable in the first place. Was Mako just that bad? Or was she on the verge of learning something about her girlfriend which she didn't yet know?

Their kissing intensified and as tongues met in between their grasping lips, Asami began to forget about the toy all together. Unconsciously, she rocked her hips against Korra's and the way the tool pressed between them created a stark reminder. The Avatar tensed and Asami lifted off her, though her apology curtailed when she saw the heady blush in Korra's cheeks. The girl was looking down the line of their close bodies and, encouraged by that almost keen glow to her eyes, Asami swayed forward again. Korra's breath hitched and she flicked her glazed eyes up, then Asami could feel the other girl just barely rock towards her.

The engineer lifted up a hand to cup Korra's cheek, holding her close enough that she could feel the brush of her girlfriend's lashes on her cheeks. "You know, it wouldn't be like it was with Mako. This is me."

Korra didn't answer, at least not aloud, but she did nod softly and after a moment she parted her toned legs to allow the other woman closer. Asami leaned into her, clutching the Avatar around her shoulders and waist but before making any further motion, she kissed Korra again.

"I don't want you to do anything you don't want to," she reiterated in a whisper.

Korra cleared her throat. "It's okay. It's you," she murmured back and Asami's entire body warmed with delight. Her hand left its hold for just for a moment in order to adjust and then she angled into Korra with a slow, mindful gesture. She could feel her lover's body tense immediately but then Korra began to move as well until, quite suddenly it seemed, Asami was as deep as the toy would go. She found that she was gasping slightly, for no other reason beyond the excitement of being connected so closely in this shared moment; she looked to Korra for her reaction only to find her eyes closed shut and lip white between her teeth... an expression which Asami recognized as a good one.

She began to nuzzle her way into Korra's throat once again and the other woman's fingers tangled into her thick hair as they thrusted in time against one another. Soon, she could feel the Avatar's muscles relax under her grasping fingers before tightening with yearning for something more. Asami's fervid breaths landed on Korra's ear, and she was taken aback by the effort to move her abdomen this way but still thrilled in every single sigh she pulled from Korra's lips. Korra began to writhe backwards into the bed, back arching up towards her and Asami couldn't help the urge to nip at her shoulder as she could sense the woman's body closing in on her finale.

"Asami," Korra whimpered, her entire frame clenching around her, and suddenly she rocked backwards into the bed in waves of ecstasy. Asami focused her entire effort on continuing in her rhythm until Korra was nothing but spent, damp satisfaction in her arms.

"Sweetheart," she purred and held to her, kissing the sweat that stained Korra's temples. Exhausted, Korra's eyes fluttered opened to finally look at her and she was still blushing just as brightly as before, though she was smiling a little as well.

"...You could make a lot of money with this thing."

Asami snorted and gripped her harder, burying her face into her lover's neck.

* * *

Asami's sluggish eyes opened onto a scene of domestic chaos. Korra's clothes and boots were scattered in half-hazard piles around the Avatar's room, along with Naga's saddlebags and a handful of very well loved polarbear-dog toys. Her glider was teetering upon a chair and any of the pillows, sheets, or blankets which Korra had deemed unnecessary had been heaped into a corner. Because the Southern Water Tribe girl slept hot, the nest was made up of practically every linen in the stateroom and Asami, wrapped around her for warmth, could attest to that.

Laying in the early morning light, she studied Korra's wayward room in silence and growing boredom. The Avatar was still asleep, or so her deep breathing suggested... so maybe she would be able to tidy up just a little without being noticed?

She held her breath and very slowly unwrapped herself from Korra's bronze arms to pull away and off the bed, noting happily that the Avatar's smell seemed to have soaked into her skin. Dressed in just her panties and a scarlet undershirt, Asami began to sort her way across the small cabin, picking up discarded items to stack properly. She was determined that Korra was going to spend the day doing her washing as soon as she was able to see the floor. People like the Avatar were the _reason_ cruise-liners had to hire on maid staff.

As she picked up a worn pair of pants she noticed how heavy the pockets were and, not trusting Korra's attention to laundry details, she stuffed a hand inside to pull out a collection of coins, a button, and a handkerchief which she vaguely recognized.

"Wh'r you doin," came Korra's muffled voice from under a pillow and Asami turned to look over at her, holding up the handkerchief in question.

"Are you stealing my stuff now?" She asked, only half-serious. The monogrammed 'A.S' at the bottom corner was a dead give-away as to where the kerchief had come from, and she had never seen Korra use one herself.

The girl opened a single blue eye to examine her from under the pillow, otherwise unmoving. "You gave me that," she yawned and burrowed herself further into the bed. "In Harbor City. When my dad was goin' to jail. Remember?"

Now that she thought about it, Asami _did_ seem to recall that gift. She looked from the square of cloth back to girlfriend with a softened expression. "You kept it?"

"I keep everything you give me," she answered sleepily and closed her eyes, rolling to her stomach.

Asami titled her head, pouting fondly at her adorable and unintentionally irresistible Avatar. She studied the handkerchief and then folded it neatly to slip back into Korra's pocket before padding on bare feet for the bed. She crawled onto the sparsely dressed mattress and straddled one leg on either side of Korra's hips, and leaned to lift up the pillow in order to join the woman underneath it.

* * *

Korra's girlfriend had that possessive look in her eye, the look which informed her that Asami was about to do something extraordinary to her and it caused the Avatar to shiver with quiet delight.

Sex with Asami was unlike anything she'd enjoyed with Mako, and Korra was thrilled for that. Whereas her relationship with Mako had been much like a stuttering flame; quick to heat and quick to flicker out, with Asami it was more like a constant, slow burn. Sometimes she wondered if the difference lay in their gender, but she supposed that it just as easily could have been their personalities. Mako was a person who never seemed able to decide what it was he wanted, while Asami not only knew her own desires but pursued them with purpose. Korra, as it happened, was certainly one of her desires.

The heiress swayed towards her, naked but for that silly toy on her hip, and knowing just how well the woman could use it caused Korra's heartbeat to quicken. She was glad that she'd given the thing a chance, in the end, and also glad that Asami had been so sympathetic to her original discomfort to begin with.

"This again?" She asked, teasing as Asami slid onto the bed.

"What's wrong?" She simmered back, nipping sweetly at Korra's shoulder. "I thought you liked it."

Korra made a humming sound in return and Asami trailed her nose up to Korra's ear.

"Right?"

"Mmmm," she sighed, eyes closing as she enjoyed her partner's warmth but Asami pulled away somewhat.

"Korra," she stated the name in a tone that quickly broke her from the lascivious route her mind was traveling. She blinked at the other woman, confused as to what had caused the change. "You're doing it again."

"Doing what?" She demanded, grimacing.

"Shutting down."

She shook her head, taken aback. "What are you talking about?"

Asami sighed a little and settled her weight onto her side. "Sweetheart, every time I try to ask you about something we do in bed you quit talking. I can barely get you to nod your head."

Korra scoffed and rolled her eyes, growing irked. "Well what do you want me to say?" Sex was something you did, it wasn't something discussed at length.

"Don't get so frustrated, I'm not accusing you of anything. I just want to be able to know if you like something or not."

"I mean, if I get off doesn't that say I liked it?" It seemed obvious enough to her, at least. Asami had liked what she did in that closet upstairs for example, otherwise she wouldn't have made such a mess.

"I could be doing a lot of things in between though that you might not like, and I'd never know it. "

She sighed, relenting. Clearly this was important to Asami, and besides that she supposed there was some truth to the engineer's logic. "...Okay, okay. I'm sorry." She shrugged some, trying to find a way to respond that made sense but only feeling more boorish the longer she hesitated. "It's just, hard to get into."

"How come?"

"I don't know," she responded lamely and glanced at the ceiling, more uncomfortable than ever. She didn't have Asami's answer and it felt like she was letting her down. "It just is. Are you going to be mad at me now?"

"No, of course not," her girlfriend ran an affectionate hand up her knee, which helped her to believe her. "But, it's me. We talk about everything, can't we talk about this?"

Korra forced herself to look back at Asami and took a breath, relaxing some. She was right, she could talk to Asami about things she couldn't with anyone else. No one ever made her feel as listened to or valuable as Asami did, and whether it was Avatar fears or private annoyances Asami was always the person to help her workout her thoughts or feelings. With that in mind, maybe she could try to actually bridge this line of conversation as well.

"Okay, fine. What do you want to know?"

She made a harmless shrug."... Do you like the toy?"

"Yeah," she answered brusquely.

Asami's lips drew into a thin line and she was quiet a moment, proof that Korra wasn't reacting the way that the other woman wanted.

"...Okay, I think I might have a better idea." She leaned back over Korra and kissed her softly, taking Korra by surprise, and then with growing heat until she could flick her tongue freely into Korra's mouth. The Avatar kissed her back, lifting a hand to her cheek until Asami withdrew with a bittersweet smile and asked, "Was that hot, or cold?"

"Wh-what?" Korra blinked at her.

"Hot..." she brushed forward again, suckling Korra's bottom lip between her teeth and the Avatar sighed wantonly. "Or cold?"

Korra took in heavy breaths, looking up at her companion with curiosity but slowly she swallowed and whispered back, "Hot."

Asami smirked and teased her lips to Korra's ear then pulled at her lobe, gently nibbling. "Hot, or cold?"

"...Hot."

The kissing continued as Asami's lips moved down the line of her throat and towards her chest. "Hot," Korra muttered, clearing her throat and then the woman's mouth found her nipple, swallowing her whole. "R-really hot," she groaned, feeling flushed with the heat of her lips and hasty tongue. She gripped a hand into Asami's hair to keep her close while a rush of electricity shot through her spine. Now her lover's palms were climbing up her body, soft but deft as she cupped Korra's breasts and kneaded into them with her want. A moment later and one of Asami's hands ventured downwards again, scraping nails along her abdomen and then into the curls of her mound. Still mouthing at her breast, she slipped her fingers inside and Korra's lips parted in a small gasp. "Hotter."

She could feel Asami roll against her, her strokes firm and sure and for a moment she simply relaxed into them, wanting her girlfriend to lead her gently along... but then Asami stopped.

"Cold," Korra winced, looking up at her with an awkward grin but Asami answered by nipping at her chin.

"Roll over," she suggested in a whisper. Korra, however, startled.

"Why?"

The heiress arched a brow at her. "Because I think you'll like it," she explained with careful patience but Korra was unable to describe the reason for her immediate discomfort.

"I'm not really the 'roll over' type..." and she wasn't. She'd always been trained that having a back to an enemy was a quick way to get taken down... but Asami wasn't an enemy and this wasn't a fight. It was, in fact, the polar opposite of a fight.. so why did she feel so on guard? She frowned softly, debating inwardly while Asami pushed their mouths together once more, which was terribly distracting.

"Korra, it's okay," she said as she paused their kissing again, leaning her forehead against hers. "You don't have to act so tough when it's just us. I don't care about any of your 'Avatar image', I just want you to feel good."

Korra's eyes flicked open and she could feel how hard she was blushing. "Who says I'm acting..." she stammered weakly, looking away.

Asami stroked her cheek. "You always let me take charge in bed. Is that hot, or cold?"

Korra let out a breath and brought her eyes back up to hers. "Hot."

Asami's grin was positively benevolent. "Roll over."

Korra considered the request for another moment, but realized that there really was no reason to not simply trust in Asami as she always had. It wasn't as if the heiress was going to hurt her, and very unlikely that she'd laugh at her, and it was just such a small request. She could at least try, right?

She rolled slowly to her front and at once gasped when she felt the other woman's mouth burning along her shoulder blades, carefully caressing the musculature of Korra's spine with her lips. Korra murred pleasantly, enjoying the subtle attention, and quickly found she was able to relax. So much so that she felt bewildered as to why she'd felt so uncomfortable at all. Asami's body layered over hers, one arm wrapping around her chest while the other directed Korra's legs apart, and then she could feel the bulge of the toy being led inside of her.

She gasped audibly as Asami worked against her, fingers curling into the sheets while her partner took her so possessively. Hands were moving and stroking her skin, her sighs were being met with soft panting at her shoulder and all the while she was sheltered by her girlfriend's dynamic body.

"Hot or cold?" Asami asked in her ear and Korra struggled to respond, "Hot, hot..."

Asami was right: Korra didn't want to take the lead when making love. She enjoyed the ease of not being expected to perform, which allowed her to simply relax into her companion's embrace without having to worry over whether she was doing something correctly. Her entire life was a constant struggle to figure out the correct thing to do, and the moment she accepted the fact that she wanted Asami to take away the burden in this theater of their life she found herself shifting backwards against Asami as well.

 _'I just want you to feel good.'_

Korra dug her teeth into the pillow and, unconsciously, began to let go of her irrelevant image. Behind the privacy of a closed door she wasn't the Avatar. In Asami's arms she was, if briefly, just Korra, and she was trembling with building pleasure. Asami's satin warmth, her hushed sighs, her constant motions all coalesced to bring Korra up and over into a climax she hadn't expected until writhing heat resounded through her tired body to leave her placidly in the sheets.

She felt Asami relax her weight on-top of her, their bodies melding damply as they quieted together. "Hot?"

Korra wearily cleared her throat. "Burning. Can you just… do this for a little while?"

"Do what?" She asked from behind her.

"Hold me."

There was a pause and then she felt Asami's lips pressing into her hair. "Oh, sweetheart," she murmured and tangled her body more tightly around the Avatar's, until they both drifted peacefully off into the night.

* * *

It was late afternoon on the airship and the five kids were playing a game of keep-away on the top deck with a very frustrated Naga, who had come to want that sticky plushball more than anything. She chased it from one bender to the other, leaving flecks of drool in her wake but always just a moment too late to snatch it from the air.

Bolin had the ball next and he tucked into a roll, then chucked it to Jinora who used a sphere of air to spin feet-over-head and kick it to a smirking Asami. She tossed the toy next to Korra and only barely missed a tail-swipe from Naga as the polarbear-dog swiveled to charge her owner. The ball left Korra's hands and landed in Mako's almost at once but Naga's excited momentum was too heavy and she landed in a slobbery mess on top of the Water-Tribe girl. Naga didn't appear to believe that Korra didn't have her toy and intent on finding it, she shoved her nose and then her tongue against the laughing Avatar's face while Korra tried to push back at her in vain.

"Naga, I don't have it!" She insisted but the animal only whined back.

"Naga!" Mako waved the ball around in an attempt to rescue Korra from a vengeful tongue-bath. "Here girl!"

Naga's flat head turned around and she bounded immediately at Mako, who threw to Bolin.

Korra got to her feet and started to tug off her dark blue hood, which was now almost dripping with Naga slobber but when Asami noticed the stain of burberry red no. 31 all over the Avatar's neck, just above her tunic. She rushed to her side, features taut.

"Korra, you've got lipstick on you," she whispered and Korra wiped the back of her hand at her mouth before Asami pointed to her throat.

"Whoops," she grimaced, chagrined, and tugged the hood quickly back on before anyone noticed. The two shared a wry look and then Korra started to laugh. "I guess I have to take another shower."

Asami colored and nearly missed the ball being thrown at her.

* * *

Asami huffed and wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead before prying the cylinder panel off the mechanism which she was examining. The maintenance walkways outside the gas chambers were designed to be safe for the crew but it was still quite stuffy and warm this close to the turbines. She placed the piece carefully on the catwalk grate and peered into the container for the gear she could hear grinding differently than the others.

"Korra can you aim that light over here?" A beam of yellow light flooded the space, revealing the deviating piece in question and Asami tutted to herself before reaching inside with her tool to feel out the problem. "You really don't have to hangout in here with me," she reminded her companion as she worked but Korra, seated with her legs crossed in front of her and holding the flashlight, just shrugged.

"You're the only fun thing to do on this ship," she yawned. Asami paused, giving the girl a sardonically arched eyebrow while Korra had time to re-consider what she'd just said.

The Avatar flushed. "That's not what I meant," she amended hastily. "I mean, hanging out with you is... ugh!" She rolled her eyes and the corner of Asami's mouth lifted as she went back to her work.

"...Did I ever show you where we keep the auxiliary turbine?"

* * *

An hour later and they were rolled together in the spare compartment behind the backup turbine, nestled atop a pile of unused clothes and nuzzled together in the dimness of the ship's storage. Korra's cheek rested peacefully on Asami's abdomen while the heiress played in her hair with lazy fingers. Amber service lights made cool shadows and warm highlights of their hair and skin and the steady roll of the compartments and mechanisms was deceptively lulling.

"I'm starting to think we're addicts," Korra muttered and Asami chuckled back.

"Why?"

"We do this like five times a day. I don't even eat that much."

"Well..." Asami trailed, suggestively, and picking up on the lewd implication Korra sniggered into Asami's stomach. "You know what I mean."

"Yes. I know what you mean. So, what's your point?" She asked in a voice laced with sleepiness.

"I dunno. Do you think it's normal to get turned on every time you see someone?"

"Someone you love, yes."

Korra quieted and gripped her arms around Asami more firmly, her muscles swelling with a brief strain as she held to her. She marveled, not for the first time, at how happy it made her to simply be able to hold Asami but for an unknown reason she recalled how awful it had been when she couldn't. The weeks before they'd first discovered their feelings for one another had been laced with so much disquiet and confusion, and then the months without her had simply been repression. It frustrated her to remember the mistakes she'd made towards her relationships, even if lessons had been learned through them. "I can't believe I was so stupid," she uttered after a pause and felt Asami shift slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"When we broke up. I know I said it was about 'us' but it really wasn't at all, and then I almost lost this for good."

Asami's voice was delicate and low when she responded. "You were in a lot of pain."

"I was, but hurting you didn't make it any better. That wasn't fair." She leaned up to look at her, not sure where this regret was coming from but wanting to make it right. "I'm really sorry that I did that, Asami."

The heiress tilted her head, regarding her in silence, and then lifted her arms up for her. Korra slid easily forward into her embrace.

"Just don't do it again," Asami ordered in a soft lilt into her ear, clinging to her, and Korra grinned fiercely.

"I won't. I'm not going anywhere."

Korra's mouth found Asami's and for a while she simply breathed the other woman in, hands making small, warm trails along the heiress's body but it wasn't long before their kissing became more ardent and Korra's hands more purposeful. She cupped her lover's full breasts and gradually ran her palms lower towards her center, thrilling in the gentle noises she won from Asami until she finally slipped gently inside to feel that liquid heat. Asami's head hung back upon the curtain of her black hair, lips parted and sighing while Korra bent to kiss along her chest as she pumped her hand in a slow tempo.

Despite the multitude of times they had lain like this, even that very morning, Korra was still amazed not only by how much she wanted Asami but also by her excitement for what their future lovemaking would evolve into. Her girlfriend was creative, something which should not have been very startling, however Korra was enjoying more than just Asami's desire for adventurism. She liked the way in which they would tease and laugh between their embraces, and how Asami didn't seem to mind Korra's energy and didn't condescend her for her uncertainties. With Asami, sex was practically effortless… and all the more so once Korra had started to just trust her partner and her partner's intentions. Letting the engineer be their lead in the bedroom had magnified Korra's interest in sex even more, and when Asami had teased her that maybe she'd one day tie Korra to the bed, the Avatar had been shocked by how appealing the image was.

The Hot or Cold game which Asami had invented had been hugely transformative for Korra as well, creating a more gradual way for her to find her own comfort zone, even if she did have to occasionally answer 'cold'.

Cradling Asami to her and curling her fingers so wonderfully deep, she watched through desire-heavy eyes as her lover tugged fistfulls of her own hair between her hands and squirmed with growing pleasure. Her sounds caused Korra to flush, regardless of how many times she'd heard them before, but she couldn't help but to wonder if Asami was as happy with their lovemaking as she was. Abruptly, a memory of a previous exploration surfaced and caused Korra a twinge of curiosity. There was something which the engineer had briefly attempted that Korra hadn't cared for, but would Asami? She chewed on the idea for a moment, while actually chewing on Asami's ear, and then came to a decision.

"Hot, or cold?" She asked playfully and Asami smiled, eyes shut.

"Hot," she murmured back, rolling her hips against Korra's hand.

Korra grinned and then withdrew her damp fingers from Asami's heat to explore just a bit lower, making a tentative circle, and at once Asami cheeks glowed a brilliant pink though she made no attempt to halt her. Korra watched for her expression as she kneaded at her with care, and saw her lover bite down on her bottom lip endearingly.

"...Hot," she whispered, breathless, and Korra pinched back a wanton sound by pressing a hard kiss to her mouth.

She was unsure of herself, but watching Asami's piqued features gave her confidence to slowly work past the tightness of her body, until the heiress was murring into her mouth. She could feel Asami's hips making tentative contact to her hand and when she pushed her thumb back into her heat as well, Asami's voice almost rose above the din of the machines. Clutching at Korra's shoulders, the heiress gradually melted into a long, hard orgasm which almost exhausted Korra in her effort to ride her girlfriend through.

Trembling, Asami broke from her to relax back against their makeshift pallet of discarded clothes and covered her eyes with a hand. Korra eased her fingers out and placed her nose back into her lover's hair to enjoy the mingling flowery perfume and sweat. They were quiet for a very long time, holding one another in mutual stillness, before Asami finally muttered thickly, "You know, I can't be like this with anyone else."

Korra grinned where she couldn't see. "Because you love me?"

"Because, I love you."

* * *

 _Author's Note part II: I wanted these intimate scenes between the characters but I wasn't really interested in taking regular intervals from the plot of the story, so instead I combined them into one lengthy and rather exhaustive chapter._

 _Next time, the affair becomes less secret_


	5. Chapter 5

Another creeping, dry Earth Kingdom dawn on the airship and Korra was blissfully nuzzled against Asami in the heiress' suite, dreaming of snowdrifts and tremendous ice facades which glittered in the corners of her eye with images of Avatars she'd never see in waking life again. Someplace distant she could hear her name, spoken by someone familiar but it was an aggravating sound. Why were people yelling when she was warm and content? They needed to shut the hell up and leave her be, before she-

"Asami, Korra's missing!" Bolin's voice sounded as the stateroom door burst open and Korra startled upright to see the earthbender and his brother stacked on top of one another in the doorway, staring back at her with expressions of utter dumbfoundment. She realized a half moment later that she was topless, as well as bed-ruffled, while Asami was much slower to realize that they had unintended guests.

"M-wha?" The heiress garbled while Bolin and Mako simply continued to stare without sound and suddenly Korra realized that this was going to be the day that she killed the bending brothers.

"Get out!" She bellowed, punching a shaft of writhing fire directly at the two. Bolin screamed but Mako managed to pull him backwards into the safety of the hall just before Korra's attack made contact, leaving her fireball to char against the slammed door. The Avatar was leaping out of the bed at once, grabbing up pants and tunic before she made chase.

"Korra," Asami warned, sounding very tired. "Korra stop."

"I'm going to kill them," she stated, hitching up her pants. "Team Avatar is finished."

A hand snaked out to grasp her bronze wrist and she was pulled bodily back onto the bed. "No, you're not," Asami declared quietly and started to crawl purposefully on top of her, surprising Korra with her determined strength. Korra began to protest but was distracted by Asami's kiss against her bare abdomen. "You're way too worked up," she explained and her tongue traced lower towards her navel, leaving Korra to swoon.

"That's... cheating..." she groaned softly while Asami's mouth simply traveled lower, and soon she'd almost forgotten about the brothers all together. Almost.

Twenty minutes later and Korra was a good deal calmer, though still fairly annoyed, as she strode down the corridors for the boys' staterooms. Miss Sato had been express in her directions on how she wanted them to handle the present situation, but Korra had her own ways of dealing with Mako and Bolin, which weren't always so diplomatic.

Dressed in her typical boots, trousers, and hood, she rapped her knuckles on the boys' doorframe. "Hey."

There was silence on the other side for a while before Bolin answered without opening the door. "Heeeey Korra."

"Get out here, Bolin."

Another pause and the door opened by a hair's breadth, barely allowing a brilliant green eye to conversationally ask, "What'sup?"

She scowled at the eye. "Asami wants you both to come to her cabin for tea. Now."

"Oh, right now? Um, that might be a little difficult. See we had plans to-"

"Mako!" Korra shouted past Bolin. "Get your brother and come on."

She turned to stalk off and after a few moment she could hear the boys' door open and two more sets of footsteps following her back to Asami's stateroom. When she went inside, the heiress was up, combed, and dressed in her maroon nightgown and pink robe and slippers. Preparing tea, she was the very vision of upper-class modesty and not at all the libidinous, domineering vixen which Korra knew her to be.

"Okay, they're coming," Korra announced grouchily and took a seat in the desk chair. A moment later the bending brothers stood again in the doorway, wearing their houseclothes and looking equally as uncomfortable as Korra felt. Asami stood beside her, holding the tea-pot, and casually directed them to the sitting room sofa.

"Come in and have a seat guys. We need to talk."

Bolin barely met their eyes as he closed the door behind them then took his seat and Mako slumped beside him, looking determinedly at the room's corner with his arms crossed. His angled brow was drawn into a sharp but cool scowl while Bolin cleared his throat into his fist and Asami began to pour four cups of steaming ginseng.

With the four of them all in the cabin together, shifting under the strain of the awkward tension coursing through the room, Korra tried to decide what she wanted to yell about first. She was humiliated, to begin with, that the boys had both seen her and her girlfriend half naked. There may have been things which Mako had seen before, but the change in their relationship status didn't mean that he was privy to those views any longer and it had felt like a violation for them to simply charge into what had been an intimate space for her and Asami.

Secondly, there was the more arching and obvious fact that their previously private relationship was now very open. Korra had actually enjoyed the secrecy of her relationship with Asami, but not for the same reasons which had made her so anxious nine months ago. Whereas everything she did in her life was up to criticism from outside parties, her time with Asami was without any judgement whatsoever. Being with the engineer was the most 'normal' that Korra ever felt, and now she was going to have to accept the fact that people were going to be involving themselves in one capacity or another. Worse than having to lose that comfort was that they had had no control over the transition. The boys had essentially robbed her of her privacy with Asami, in her opinion, and in typical Korra fashion she felt a good vocal berating was imminent for the brothers. Just as she opened her mouth to begin, however, Bolin beat her to the start.

"Listen Asami, Korra, I just want to say that I'm really sorry we came running in here. Y'see, we were supposed to go jogging with Korra and when she wasn't in her room or anywhere else on the ship, Mako panicked-"

"I didn't panic," Mako corrected stiffly and rolled his shoulder. "I was just reasonably concerned."

Korra gave him a curious look and suddenly her anger was less apparent compared to a vague sense of guilt. Mako still worried about her?

"Well, anyway," Bolin continued. "We're sorry that we... you know. Not that we saw anything," he hastily added but this only affirmed that they had in fact seen plenty and Korra colored.

"You should have knocked," she smarted, aggressively, but Asami put a soothing hand on her shoulder.

"Look, it was a mistake. You guy's weren't trying to see something, and it won't happen again, right?"

Bolin nodded helpfully, though he was still blushing and looking at Asami's coffee table while Mako just grunted. They were all quiet a moment longer until Asami finally sighed and nudged the boys' tea cups closer to them. Bolin took his and after a minute he handed one to Mako too.

Asami and Korra shared a look and the Avatar, reading her girlfriend's expression, sighed. "Okay, so, I guess we should talk about... me and Asami."

Bolin sipped almost frantically at his tea but Mako made no motion.

Korra rolled her eyes and took a breath. "We're dating. And have been for..." she grimaced slightly and looked at Asami for confirmation. Were they going to count what happened nine months ago or...?

Asami stepped in. "For a while, on and off," she clarified somewhat and sat on the arm of Korra's chair. "We're together now, officially, but we didn't really know how to go about telling you... and I'm sorry."

Confused, Korra frowned up at her but Asami was still looking at the boys: Mako in particular. "We should have told you already."

Bolin started to squirm, and then quite suddenly he leapt to his feet, flinging his arms wide. "I'm so happy!" He exclaimed, taking both women by surprise. "My two best friends are dating! It's so sweet," he did a little dance on his tip toes and Korra blushed further, putting her face in her hands.

"Thanks, Bolin."

The earthbender came around the table to tug them both into an abrupt hug, which made Asami laugh.

"Okay Bolin, I'm glad you're glad."

"Of course I am! This is great!" He replied, setting them down and putting his fists on his hips, growing slightly more serious. "I've never had lesbian friends. I have a few questions."

Korra and Asami shared another look but it was Mako who saved them from having to answer any of Bolin's prying.

"Bolin, leave them alone," he ordered gruffly and Korra looked over the earthbender's shoulder to see that Mako had taken to his feet. His hands were stuffed into his pockets and he was still glaring at the carpet. "So, you two are together. Fantastic. Can we go now?"

Asami wet her lips, looking sympathetically at Mako. "Sure."

Without another word he turned and made for the door, letting it shut loudly behind him.

"What's he so mad about?" Korra demanded, crossing her arms. "We're the ones who got walked in on."

Bolin placed a brief hand on Korra's bicep.

"Give the guy some time. You were his biggest relationship..." he looked sheepishly at Asami. "I mean, both of you were. And now you've both moved on, together, and you didn't even tell him about it. You guys are supposed to be some of his best friends and keeping him in the dark about this probably hurts pretty bad..." he trailed and Korra noted the pang in his tone.

She sighed. "Yeah, you're right." Now she just felt selfish. She looked up at her friend, shoulder slumping. "For what it's worth, no one knew about us, Bolin."

He tilted his head at them. "How come?"

Asami and Korra both hemmed on an answer but the heiress found it first. "We didn't really know how other people would react, I guess. I mean, two women together? It's strange enough for us and we're the ones involved."

"Yeah," Korra agreed. "The first thing I did after I realized I was attracted to Asami was to ignore it and hope it went away..." she looked at her girlfriend, smirking a little bit. "And then you came into my bedroom that night on the Island."

Asami laughed sheepishly. "I thought something was wrong, you looked so upset."

"I was, but you confusing the hell out of me didn't help!"

"I was trying to comfort you!"

Korra squinted sardonically at her. "You were in a nightgown and you were playing with my hair."

"Oh..." Asami's cheeks flushed. "I thought you had fallen asleep by then."

Looking back, Korra wasn't sure how she ever fell asleep that night, with the source of all her confusion and fluster laying inches away and smelling like jasmine.

Bolin glanced back and forth between the two, clearly hoping for more to the story but Korra just shook her head and pushed at his shoulder, chuckling. "Quit looking at us like that. Nothing happened."

"That's not what it sounds like to me," he responded wryly and waggled his eyebrows. All he received were deadpan stares however and he quickly took a step backwards. "Well, I should go see about breakfast and let everyone know that you're not kidnapped. I'll give you ladies some... alone time," he promised, suggestively, but halted at the door. With his fingers on the handle, he looked back at them a bit more seriously. "You know how much I love you guys, right? I'm really happy that you're both happy."

Korra tilted her head at him, smiling from the warmth of his sentiment. "Thank's Bolin. We love you too."

His mouth pulled into a small smile and he nodded, then opened the door to leave them in peace. Korra heaved a sigh at once and slumped back into the chair and Asami leaned over to brush a kiss to her forehead.

"That could have been worse," she pointed out.

Korra grumbled some but nodded. "Yeah. But, I liked being mad at Mako more than being mad at myself. Now I just feel like a bad friend."

"We both are. But keep in mind: we didn't tell him that we're in love. He didn't tell you that you two had already broken up. And he dumped me for you, twice."

Korra cocked an eyebrow up at her, grinning slyly. "You dumped him for me," she reminded.

Asami snorted slightly but bent and placed another kiss on Korra's cheek, just beside her mouth. "What can I say? I guess I have a thing for trouble-makers."

Korra's grin widened but before she could return the gesture, Asami straightened and walked towards her chest of drawers. "I should go ahead and get dressed. Breakfast will be on the table in a few minutes."

"Okay," Korra agreed, reluctantly, and got up. "I'm going to go feed Naga first. I'll meet you at the table."

Asami's sound of acknowledgment came from the other side of the partition and Korra left her to herself for a minute and stepped out into the hall... and almost directly into Tenzin.

"Oh," he started, taken aback.

"Oh," she repeated in sync and looked up at the stern features of her airbending master. "Heeeey Tenzin..." she smiled with what she hoped was a winning look of innocence. "Sorry, didn't see you there."

"Korra," he greeted stiffly and then glanced at the closed door which she had just appeared from. "Why were you in Asami's stateroom?"

"Uh," Korra spent entirely too long looking for an excuse that was distant enough from the truth of the matter, overlooking the fact that the response 'just hanging out' would have been more than acceptable.

Tenzin frowned. "Korra, I know that you and Asami are close but don't you think you two spend a little too much time together? Asami has a lot of work, you know, and it's rude to be taking up so much of her time with 'girl talk'."

Korra stared back at him. "Uh..."

He put a hand on her shoulder and steered her suddenly away from the door. "I think you need an activity other than bothering Asami. Have you memorized the haiku's of Guru Pathik yet? They're quite illuminating, once you decipher a bit of the language."

"...Uh."

Breakfast had been a somewhat awkward affair, with Mako eating grumpily at the far end of the table and excusing himself before everyone else, and then with Korra wolfing down her entire meal in order to speed things along. Bolin kept giving Asami and Korra both knowing glances, as if wanting to silently tell them across the table that he was still excited and supportive of their relationship; a thought which was appreciated but also a little much. Asami didn't want their relationship to be some sort of grand milestone, she just wanted to able to be with Korra. However, she was realizing that keeping it hidden for as long as they had was turning it into the sort of fanfare which she wanted to avoid. She determined that when they got back to Republic City, it would likely be best to go ahead and face the hassle of announcing their same-gender relationship, rather than continue to forcing themselves to live as a secret.

And a good start to all of this would be to go ahead and inform their friends and family.

Korra had caught Asami before they'd sat down to eat and whispered that since they'd told the boys they might as well tell Tenzin and Asami couldn't have agreed more. She'd given her girlfriend's hand a little squeeze and they decided to wait until after breakfast to explain themselves, unsure of how the airbending master was going to react.

The table finished breakfast, but Bumi was still telling the story of the time he had found a uncharted Fire Nation island entirely inhabited by pygmies, who had wanted to make him their pigheaded king. Asami was aware that the story could very well go on until lunch and that something would need to be done if they wanted a moment alone with Tenzin.

"You know, Bumi," she cut in abruptly. "Bolin was just telling me that he thought you couldn't airbend him off his horse-stance."

Bumi paused in the middle of his story, looking from Asami to Bolin with slow confusion. The earthbender wasn't any more sure what was going on than Bumi, but Asami gave him a stern look and then tilted her chin towards the door outside. Three tries later and he seemed to get what it was she was wanting from him.

"Oh. OH yeah," he got up suddenly. "Uh, Bumi, want to see what's stronger, your airbending or my stances?"

"Well, that's not going to be a fair contest boy," Bumi remarked, standing and tucking his shirt back into his pants. "We better get a rope to tie you to the bulwark first..." He advised wisely, walking with Bolin towards the door and the earthbender paled a tint.

"Yeah... that's probably a good idea."

"Well," Korra muttered, watching them meander off. "That's going to go really well."

Asami cleared her throat to get Korra's attention and stood, putting her napkin down. "Let's go sit in the main cabin. Master Tenzin, want to join us?"

The airbender appeared surprised by the invitation but smiled amiably. " I'd love to," he agreed and got up to follow the two. They all moved into the bright, light-filled cabin and arranged themselves on the white suede couches in the near middle. Asami was a little surprised when Jinora trailed politely after them, her nose stuck in a paperback book, but decided that it was just as well. If everyone else on the ship was going to know then they should go ahead and include Jinora and besides, she was as close as family to Korra.

Asami took a seat and Korra sat beside her, folding her legs in her lap and linking her fingers casually over her knees while Asami arranged herself a bit more properly. Jinora silently plopped herself on the couch arm, apparently content with her reading while Tenzin settled across from them. A few moments of awkward silence later and the airbender began.

"Was there something you wanted to discuss, Asami? Korra?"

Well, so much for building up to it. Obviously they were being fairly transparent with their intentions and they gave one another a brief glance.

"Actually, yes. We both wanted to talk to you about something," Asami started, choosing to apply the same direct, polite tact she utilized in her business negotiations. "You're very important to Korra, and you've always been very kind to me and we just thought that you should know that Korra and I are... involved. Romantically."

Korra made no comment, but she did reach over and quite purposefully grab Asami's hand, as if to demonstrate what Asami had meant. Tenzin said nothing, but simply blinked back at the two for several moments, and then suddenly he relaxed.

"Oh, is that all? Good. You had me worried for a moment."

Asami tilted her head, surprised by his cool reaction. "You're… okay with this?"

He shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Korra shook her head, even more taken aback than Asami. "Because we're both women. I've been avoiding telling you all this time because I thought you'd give me some sort of 'Korra that's not appropriate behavior for The Avatar' lecture," she lowered her voice to mimic his and waved around a finger as part of her pasquinade.

Tenzin frowned somewhat. "Korra, the Air Nomads have practiced an unconditional view of love for thousands of years. Open romance between women, men, and both has been a strong aspect of the Air Nation tradition of freedom and expression. Something which I would have expected you to learn in your studies of Air Nomad culture."

"Mother Superior Lio was said to have taken female lovers twice and half her age before her tenure as leader of the Eastern Air Temple," Jinora joined in academically, still looking at her book.

Tenzin started, as if only then realizing that Jinora had been included in on the conversation. "Where did you hear that?" He demanded, crossly.

She shrugged. "I read it."

He scowled somewhat but twisted to look at her more formally. "Jinora, do you have any questions about what Asami and Korra have just said?"

"No," she shrugged again. "I already knew anyway."

"How?" Korra demanded at once but Asami was already dreading the answer. Jinora hadn't heard them in the maintenance hull, had she?

"You both keep looking at each other in that goofy way Meelo has when he sees sweet buns. It was obvious that you two were having an affair."

Asami heaved a very quiet sigh of relief but Korra wasn't any happier with the answer. "No we haven't been, that's stupid."

It was remarkable how Jinora managed to turn Korra into a petulant kid.

"Yes you have," she put her book down abruptly and looked at her father. "I do have one question though. Can I babysit Korra's baby after she get's pregnant?"

Asami, Korra, and Tenzin all reddened with immediate alarm but Jinora scoffed after a moment and looked back at her book. "I'm just kidding, daddy. I'm eleven years old, I know where babies come from."

Asami dropped her face into her hand, black hair tumbling around her. The airbending kids... she swore they were going to be the bane of her existence. "Alright, back to the topic," she cleared her throat and looked up at the room again. "Since everyone is on the same page now and is fine with everything..."

"Wait," Tenzin held up a hand to stall her. "Everything is not fine." He cleared his throat. "I understand that Asami is an adult, but Korra you're still only seventeen and as your guardian while you're away from the South, I am not comfortable with you sleeping in Asami's room."

Korra deadpanned. "What."

He shrugged his shoulders, unapologetic. "You're simply too young for an adult relationship and I don't think that it's appropriate."

Korra leapt to her feet and Asami could feel her pulsing outrage. "What about all that crap you just said about air nomads with their open romance and free expression?"

"Air Nomad adults, of which you are not one. And your reaction is only proving my point. You're too immature for the sort of emotional undertaking which comes with intimacy. And I don't see why you're in such a rush in the first place."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing," Korra looked skyward in her ranting. "You care about Asami, but you never said anything about Mako!"

"Mako?" Tenzin repeated, staring up at her.

"Yeah, Mako," she stuck a fist on her hip. "What did you think we were doing at his apartment, playing Pai Sho?"

Tenzin's aghast expression showed that that was exactly what he had assumed they had been doing, and Asami groaned aloud just as he hopped to his feet. Jinora, apparently deciding that this was not her business, got up to leave expeditiously through a separate passageway.

"That skinny, arrogant, ferret-faced, hoodlum!" He thundered and turned for the door which led topside. "I'll feed him to Oogie!" He declared and began to stomp off.

"Uh," Korra deflated, watching him with sudden dread. "Oh, crap!" She took a running start and hopped onto his back. "Tenzin don't!"

"Korra get off me at once!" He shouted, bent over double and reaching around to pry at her.

"Not until you calm down!"

"I won't calm down! That miscreant is obviously not as afraid of me as he should be!"

They started to twist in circles, growing louder as they argued in familiar fashion, and Asami rubbed at her temples and then back through her long hair. She took a deep breath and finally stood, walking closer to the wrestling pair.

"BENDERS!" She shouted and they both paused, looking up at her in unison. Asami never yelled.

The Avatar and monk were a ridiculous picture: both were disheveled and red-faced, and Korra was still clawed around Tenzin's back while he tugged at her wrists. Asami took another breath to steady herself and continued in a much calmer tone. "Master Tenzin, even though I respect you and your opinion, I have to remind you that this isn't your Island. It's my ship, and you are here as my guest. Korra's not eighteen, but she will be in a month and I think that after all of the stunning things you've seen her do she deserves to have her own autonomy respected. It's a little out of line to expect her to save the world but still refer to her as 'too immature for an adult relationship'," the statement was somewhat difficult to get through, considering that Korra was still half hanging off her airbending Master like a tigermonkey. "We may be young, but we're both taking on adult responsibilities and I don't see how that shouldn't include our relationship. And..." she winced preemptively. "You may be Korra's guardian but you're not mine. If you're going to insist on making sure Korra sleeps in her own room, then I'll just sleep in there with her."

Both benders blinked silently back at her, and then Korra slid abruptly off Tenzin's back while the airbending master straightened his robes about himself and studied the floor.

"All good points, Miss Sato," he stated formally after a moment.

Asami swallowed and took a step closer. "Do you think that maybe this protectiveness of Korra could have more to do with your worries about your daughters? Jinora is coming into puberty, and that's a very big-time change for the both of you."

Tenzin didn't look at her, but he did heave a soft sigh. "That is also a good point," he responded. He looked back at Korra and bowed his head. "I'm sorry, I may have over-reacted. It's just difficult at times. I know that you're the Avatar, but I sometimes still see the pot-bellied little girl I met at my mother's hut. My father once told me that he felt robbed of a proper youth, but I keep trying to make yours last as long as possible."

Korra shifted her shoulders, abashed. "We are young, but we're not that young," she responded lamely. "Don't beat up Mako, okay? It's not like he talked me into anything."

Tenzin huffed and lifted his chin to stare at the ceiling next. "I'll consider it," he answered finally and Asami figured that would be the best they'd get. He tutted and looked back at them both. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I need to have a long and necessary conversation with my daughter."

Asami nodded. "Sure. We'll see you around, Master Tenzin."

He bowed his head at them and then turned to go and find Jinora and Asami, emotionally drained, looked at Korra.

"I think that went better than most things usually go for me," Korra decided, arms crossed.

Asami half scoffed, half laughed. "How will it go when we tell your parents?"

Korra shrugged. "Still better than when we tell your dad."

The heiress narrowed her eyes. "My dad can read about it in the paper. I'm a little more worried about impressing Tonraq."

"You've wrecked two planes in two different attempts to rescue my dad from the Northern Water Tribe. You're already golden in his book, trust me," Korra answered with a grin and Asami fluttered some to think that she was right. The Southern Water Tribe might not approve of a same-gender relationship in their norm but maybe she already had points with Korra's family. The Avatar laughed at her expression and eased up on her toes to kiss her, just as the deck door opened and a whistling Commander Bumi came waltzing in with a spare line of rope. The girls paused in their embrace to look at the airbender in surprise, who, without missing a beat, turned on his heel and went whistling back outside again.

Asami's eyebrows arched with surprised concern. "Okaaay, I guess that's everyone then."

Korra snorted and kissed her again.

That afternoon, before dinner, most of Team Avatar was on the top deck and enjoying the cooler relief of the Earth Kingdom evening as they drifted ever closer towards Ba Sing Se. In the last light of sunset, Korra and Jinora were demonstrating proper foot movement to the newest member of the Air Nation, Kai, who had been picked up earlier that day in a village on their tour. After a dramatic moment between the airbending pickpocket, the Avatar, and the local police Korra had agreed to taking on responsibility for both his well-being and his behavior. It was precisely that sort of good-will which made Korra so charming to Asami, not that she'd said as much. It was simply amusing to her at times when Korra's rough exterior softened to help anyone around her, albeit in her own hard-headed way.

The heiress came out onto the deck in her double-breasted coat, feeling chilly in the coming evening, and for a moment she simply watched Korra and the airbenders with a slight tinge of envy. She'd always wanted to know the thrill of bending, and even though it wasn't her fate she sometimes liked to vicariously enjoy it through those around her. Especially airbending: prior to Korra appearing in her life she'd never even seen the almost-extinct techniques of the airbenders but now it was something which was an active aggravation in her life. She wondered if all airbenders were such pranksters or if it was just Aang's descendants.

She turned from the scene after a moment, wanting to get a view of the external turbines as part of her regular maintenance walk, but was a little surprised to see Mako standing at the railing and watching the sunset in his typical pensive fashion. She hesitated a moment, but strode nearer and placed her elbows on the rail beside him.

"Hey," she greeted mildly.

The firebender grunted back without looking at her. "Hey yourself."

Well, this was going to be a fun conversation. She swallowed, wondering if she should just leave the boy be but the same reasoning that told her to bridge the issue of private space with Korra told her to address the tension with Mako. It was tight quarters on the ship and Team Avatar did not need to be fighting amongst themselves.

"I guess this morning was pretty awkward," she tried, combing back her hair.

"Yeah."

She cut a sigh. "Mako, what do you want me to say?"

He scoffed. "What's there to say? I don't know why you're expecting me to be so okay with this. I was in love with Korra, I still care about her and I still care about you. But now you two are... together? I don't even know how that works. We broke up like two months ago and she just moves on, right in front of me. I'm sorry, but it's a little hard to deal with."

Asami arched an eyebrow at him and, internally, counted to three. "Okay..." she grabbed his sleeve once she was done and dragged him around the corner of the promenade. With a swift motion she pushed him against the bulwark and took up a fistful of his collar.

"You're having a hard time?" She demanded in a dangerous tone and stuck a finger in his very shocked face. "Korra just got severed from all of her past lives; ten thousand years worth of Avatars just gone," she snapped her fingers as emphasis of their vanishing. "She's been exiled from Republic City, a city which she has not only fought to protect repeatedly but is also where all of her friends live. She thinks everyone in the world either hates or disdains her, and the only airbender she's been able to recruit for the new nation was a street thief. I'd say she's having a pretty rough year, but you're upset because there's something in her life that actually makes her happy? Did you ever think that maybe being with someone who loves her makes all of that other stuff easier to handle?"

Mako' shoulders weakened some and he looked away. She pushed him suddenly harder, closing in on her temper in a way which was uncharacteristic of the engineer. "Korra needs her friends just as much now as ever and that includes you. You need to straighten up, stow your self-centered shit, and go over there to tell her you're happy for her." She let him go and at once he hung his head, sighing heavily.

"Yeah, okay," he muttered, not meeting her eyes. In that moment, it was incredible for her to think that she had been so attracted to him at one point. He took a shuffling step away from her but then hesitated.

"Does Korra make you feel safe?"

She startled some, arms crossed as she looked back at him. At once she knew what it was he was asking, but it wasn't the memory of their moment in a carriage which alarmed her. It was the answer.

"No," she admitted slowly. "But she makes me feel needed."

He seemed to think about that for a moment before he nodded. "You know, the more I think about it, you two are actually pretty good for each other."

He headed towards the opposite end of the deck where Korra and the airbenders were doing their stances and Asami watched him pull Korra away from the others and say something to her which could not be heard. Then, Korra smirked and gave him a hug. It filled Asami with a strange satisfaction to watch the embrace and the glow on Korra's cheeks, to know that the Avatar did in fact need her in the largest and littlest of ways. She was the one who put that smile on Korra's face, who helped her to relax and to forget some of the burdens of her role as Avatar, and she even managed to curtail some of the wildness of her half-spirit lover.

Korra needed her, whether she realized it or not, and that simple fact gave Asami Sato a deep, full happiness.


	6. Chapter 6

_I do not own Avatar: Legend of Korra, nor have any affiliation to any of its universe or characters. Nickelodeon does._

* * *

Ba Sing Se was in some ways exactly what Korra had expected, and in others it was a raging disappointment. The Earth Queen in her monstrous palace had made it to the top of Korra's list of 'most disliked people' with only a half dozen words dribbled from her perch-like mouth. The opulence of her palace on the upper ring was designed to impress the eye, but all it did for Korra was to leave a taste fowler than the smell of the Lower Ring. Decadence meant little to a woman of the Southern Water Tribe, and decadence in the light of so much poverty was acutely disgusting.

Her meeting with the Queen hadn't endeared her to the old hag one bit, and in fact she was fuming as she stomped into the gates of the guest house which she and her friends were to be staying in while they visited the city. The guest house itself was more than most families had access to in Ba Sing Se and it partially made her skin crawl to look at the beautiful garden home with its manicured hedges and pristinely painted eves.

"I take it your meeting didn't go that smoothly," a voice called to her from the lawn and Korra looked past a set of turtle-shaped bushes to see Asami dressed in her shop-jacket and checking a cylinder of a gleaming satobike. For a moment, Korra just stared at the image of her girlfriend straddling the machine with the late afternoon sun shimmering on her outline, before she shook herself.

"Where did you get that?" She asked without answering Asami's question, walking towards her. Was Asami ever without an engine of some sort?

The heiress shrugged. "I had one on the airship. I thought some terrain vehicles would be a good idea."

Korra looked at the smooth, glossed lines and svelte leather seat. "Yeah, terrain vehicle..." even she knew that the bike was practically a showpiece. She looked back up at Asami and noted that she was wearing her driving goggles on top of her head. "Are you going for a ride?"

"Not without you," came the response, accompanied by an eyebrow arch that made Korra grin vehemently. She slipped on the seat behind Asami, who handed her a helmet. "Safety first, Avatar. It's a little early in life to have go looking for your reincarnation."

"Ten to one she'll be in this city anyway," Korra returned cheekily but strapped the helmet in place. She slipped strong arms around Asami's waist, glad for the opportunity to do so and gave a peck to Asami's cheek. "Let's go see Ba Sing Se."

"Yes ma'am."

Korra loved driving with Asami. She was practically a different person with an engine to steer along and although she loved the Asami she usually spent her days with, the woman on the bike was vicious in a way that reminded Korra why she was once so intimidated by the Sato heiress at the start of their friendship. Asami the aristocrat was suave and delicate; Asami the engineer owned whichever street she turned onto.

They coasted through the rigid Upper Ring and headed into the Middle Ring as soon as they were able to, seeking out road ways that were a bit more relaxed and which reminded them both of Republic City. The pair cruised through the outdoors market and won plenty of attention for the bike from interested shoppers, and then they went on through the shopping district and towards the gardens. The Middle Ring was old but well-cared for and Korra was surprised that it didn't remind her of Republic City after all. In Ba Sing Se, buildings had histories spanning generations and some had even stood for centuries. There were wars, kings, and Avatars that had come and gone while Ba Sing Se stood constant.

The Avatar was glad to be given a chance to see the more populated sectors of the city, especially after the stuffiness of the palace, but she remained curious about the Lower Ring. It was likely that if anyone in Ba Sing Se needed the Avatar's help it was in the fetid slums of the city and she found her thoughts drifting south even as she and Asami drove along past noodle shops and beneath festive paper lanterns. How could the Earth Queen just ignore her own city, her own people?

Korra was so busily frowning on this that she didn't immediately notice the small group of teenage boys who were idling on the sidewalk corner at the red light she and Asami were stopped at.

"Hey sugar," one broad-shouldered boy hollered at them past the rumble of the machine. "Nice bike. Your boyfriend let you borrow that?"

Korra looked around, confused as to who the hell he was talking to, but Asami was quicker to the take. "No, I stole it off him after I kicked him to the curb."

The boy and his friends laughed and Korra noticed that one of the guys was straddling a more stripped-model bike as well. With a snide grin he turned on the engine and then cranked the gas, hard, and the sound roared up the street.

"Your bike's too quiet, you want to hear that baby coming," he shouted over the din.

"Why's that?" Korra demanded, jutting up her chin. "So everyone knows to come out and see the wreck?"

Two of the boys sniggered at that one but the boy on the bike frowned and grabbed a striped helmet off his seat. "You want to see what this wreck can do?" He taunted and strapped the helmet in place. Korra's grin only broadened, knowing that the guy had no idea what sort of mistake he'd just made: Asami loved to race.

In answer, the heiress tutted but smiled. "Absolutely. Where to?"

The boys on the corner all cooed with intrigue, hopping over towards them, and one pointed down the straight way. "You see that fountain at the end of the street? Turn left there and the road goes under a bridge. First one on the other side of the bridge wins."

Asami and Korra followed his hand and saw a public fountain in the likeness of some historical figure about seven blocks down. Korra didn't bother to ask if Asami really wanted to race, and just preemptively tightened her hold instead. She could already sense the engineer's excitement through her tensed musculature.

"Alright," Asami said to the boys. "But you need a passenger to make it even."

The kid on the bike shrugged and the broad-shouldered one climbed on behind him. The teenagers all pulled the bikes to the edge of the street and a few passerbies stopped to watch, suggesting to Korra that these shenanigans weren't so uncommon in the walled city. Side by side, Korra looked over their opposition: the driver, a lanky kid of eighteen, gave her a toothy grin and a blew her a a kiss and Korra realized suddenly that he had no idea who she was. With her helmet down and goggles on, it was impossible to discern that she was the Avatar and the brief sense of anonymity was bracing. She made a show of snapping her teeth on the gesture, chewing it, and spitting it to the side before smirking back at him.

"Korra," Asami said over her shoulder. "Make sure you lean when I lean and keep your arms around me."

"No worries there," she assured slyly.

"And hey," the bigger boy pointed at them while a third boy stood in front of the bikes with a green handkerchief. "No bending. It's cheating."

"Pshaw," Korra shrugged just as the handkerchief came down, signaling the start of the race. The Sato heiress twisted the ignition and the bike took off in a peel of rubber fury.

Korra's boast to stay secure hadn't been intentionally misleading, but she was unprepared for just how much pickup Asami's bike could have and the torque shifted her back on the seat. She quickly steadied and clutched at Asami, feeling the readiness in her companion's lithe body as she held her close and storefronts went whizzing by them at a thrilling pace. Two blocks down and the Ba Sing Se boys were right on their tail, trailing by a wheel's length.

A city streetcar ahead of them parted the two bikes, which both swerved smoothly to either side, earning a furious shout from the driver as they sped off again. Four blocks down and they were nearing their turn when a milk truck came coasting through the coming intersection, blissfully unaware of the four teenagers barreling down upon it. Korra shouted a warning but Asami didn't even flinch. The heiress pulled the bike to a smooth G-turn right, skirting the truck and bringing their knees to hover dangerously close to the asphalt, and they were suddenly off course and ripping down a side street.

"Damnit," Korra cursed but Asami simply rolled the throttle, making a diagonal across the street and into another, more narrow alley while Korra moved in time with her. Unfortunately the new street was filled with many more pedestrians and kiosks, and both women were unprepared for how suddenly it turned left again.

"Ramp!" Asami shouted over her shoulder but the Avatar was a step ahead of her.

Korra took one hand from Asami to pump into the air and the street erupted upwards into a smoothly curved barrier of solid stone. Screams of surprise sounded from pedestrians but the satobike's tires kissed the ramp beautifully, gliding almost nine feet vertical and then rocketing them back into the street. The flawlessness of Asami's turn drummed against Korra's heartstrings.

The main thoroughfare was just in front of them and they pulled back into it but Korra could see that the boys' bike was already a block ahead and ready to make their turn. Asami hammered down to catch up and they swung wide into the intersection, coming a little close for comfort to the fountain, and then left after the boys. They were only two yards behind.

The bridge was just ahead, a picturesque stone arch between trellis-shaded ambulatories, and in unison both Asami and Korra bent low as the satobike shot towards it. Korra saw the passenger of the boys bike look back at the two in amaze and growing alarm as they drew up on them and then were side-by-side. As Korra and Asami passed, just beneath the bridge, the Water Tribe girl gestured a pair of fingers from her eyes out at the other driver.

The bikes came pounding beneath the bridge and back into the light of late afternoon and at once Asami slowed them down to idle again at the next corner. She pulled up her goggles and looked back at Korra, features flushed with adrenaline and lips parted in a smug, lofty smile. The Avatar could have melted for her all over again in that instant.

"How the fuck did you do that!" The driver of the other bike shouted over his engine as they pulled up beside them. "That truck sent you off track!"

Asami shrugged blithely. "What can I say? Satobikes are just better machines."

Korra guessed that they were just going to pretend like they hadn't bended an alley to get them back on track and win the race. She squirmed slightly to come clean but knew that if she told the truth she'd win Asami's ire and a street race wasn't worth that risk.

The Ba Sing Se boys actually appeared more shocked by their loosing than angry, and the larger of the two climbed off the bike to stand with his fists on his hips. He looked Asami up and down, and then smirked. "Well since we lost, how about we pay for dinner?" He gave them both a hard grin and inwardly Korra groaned. It felt like they had walked into that one. "What's your name, sugar?" He asked, meeting Asami's eyes.

The Avatar bristled suddenly, frowning at the biker. How many times had someone asked Asami out right in front of her by now?

"Sorry, but I think she's already got dinner plans," and without pausing to think too seriously about what she did, Korra lifted a hand around Asami's cheek to land a full kiss right on her mouth. She was relieved to see that her girlfriend's gaze wasn't angry when she pulled away, and in fact the heiress looked equal parts amused and pleased. Jade eyes sparkled on her for a moment and then flicked to the boys.

"Thanks anyway," she simmered and turned the bike back into the streetway, leaving Korra to give the very surprised boys a friendly, cheshire wave as they vanished down another sidestreet before anyone could try to catch up.

The Queen's guesthouse was as spacious on the inside as it appeared from the outside, with separate upstairs wings for the men's and women's rooms and living quarters on the first level. Asami, who had been to Ba Sing Se as a younger girl, was unsurprised but impressed by the antique lavishness of the Upper Ring. It was a refreshing change from the almost aggressive modernity of Republic City but the beauty of the walled city had a museum-like stuffiness to it as well, as if she were walking among works of art she dare not touch even in the comfort of the guest quarters.

Korra, she noted, had no such qualms and had almost immediately made a pig sty of her room. Asami thought it was almost vindictive.

"I can't believe you even unpacked," the heiress drawled as she shuffled a bag out of her floor space and came into the room. The furnishings included a bed, a chest of drawers, and a sitting table all in the somber, cool style of the Queen's palace. Obviously she had a very austere decorator. Korra looked up at her from the bedside, where she was kicking off her boots with disregard.

"Well with that hag Queen jerking me around, who knows how long we'll be here." She scowled at her shoes, which she nudged across the floor. "I can't believe she want's to haggle with me over the new airbenders. I would have helped her if she had just asked, she didn't have to turn it into a negotiation. I think that's what really gripes me about the whole thing," she sighed and looked up at her. "But, I'm glad you'll go with me for that pickup tomorrow."

Asami tilted her head at her affectionately and picked up the bag to take to the dresser. "It's not a big deal," she tossed over her shoulder and started to go through the bag. "It might be nice to get out, just us. I guess that's what the boys did."

The brothers had been away all afternoon and evening, ever since realizing that Kai had gone missing. Asami couldn't say that she was surprised by the kid sneaking off; Ba Sing Se was a pickpocket's dream, after all.

"Yeah, maybe they found a bending tournament."

"Or a girl," she glanced back at Korra with a wry grin. "Which would be just what we need: Mako getting attached to some girl here in Ba Sing Se before we leave again."

"Mako doesn't get that attached that quick. We should be more worried about Bolin," the Avatar returned and relaxed back into her pillows. Asami chuckled with agreement and reached into the bag to stow more items in the drawer but was a little surprised to find some sort of paperback book in her hand instead. Korra didn't do much reading that she had ever noticed. Her curiosity piqued, she pulled out what wasn't a paperback after all but a stack of bound letters. She flipped them over, shamelessly nosey, and looked back at the Water Tribe girl with interest.

"What are all these?"

Korra sat up a little straighter. "Oh, those are from Master Katara..." she leaned forward to loop her arms under her knees, looking up at her through her bangs in that way that Asami adored. "They're old letters between her and Aang. She sent them to me after she heard about... you know." She grimaced. "Me loosing my connection with the Avatars. She said she thought they might help me feel closer to Aang."

Asami looked back at the letters with almost reverent respect and sat at the edge of the bed with them. "That's so sweet of her. Have you read them?"

"No..." she trailed, awkwardly, and Asami shot her a look. "I just thought they might be a little too personal."

"I doubt she would have sent you anything she didn't want you to read," Asami pointed out and started to untie the bundle. "She probably kept the good ones for herself."

Korra grinned at her. "I hope so. I wouldn't want my next life reading what I write you."

"You've never written me anything," Asami laughed as she delicately pulled a folded letter from a yellowed envelope.

"Well, I might... and then you won't want anyone to read it," she defended mildly, making Asami laugh again. She looked down at the letter in her hand: a remnant from a different time and a different life. The handwriting was neat and blockish, not like Korra's at all, and the paper's edges had the dark creasing of having been read one-too-many times. She realized that it must have been rather hard for Master Katara to give these pieces of her husband over to Korra. She herself certainly wouldn't have done it. "Can I read them?"

Korra shrugged. "If Aang doesn't want you to he'll say something." She looked at the ceiling suddenly, as if waiting for a response from the ethers. "Nope, nothing."

Asami was a little glad that Korra could make light of loosing her connection to the other Avatar's, though it was still a sobering thought for her. She realized how isolated it must have felt for the girl to be entrusted with the burden of the world's balance without anyone's experience to guide her other than what was left in Aang's descendants... and now his writing. She looked meditatively back at the letter and cleared her throat.

'Katara, my sweethe-'

She paused, smiling quietly at the letter.

"What is it?" Korra asked.

"He called her sweetheart," she murmured and flicked her eyes up at Korra's water-blue gaze. The Avatar chuckled and rolled her shoulders.

"What else does it say?"

 _'my sweetheart._

 _I miss you and the kids so much, and it's still looking like I'll be here in Capital City for maybe another month. I know I said that I'd try and be home by the solstice but this new union organization is adamant about its demands and Zuko is really digging in his heels. I don't know what he expects and, as I've often thought, I don't think that he even really knows. He's so concerned about what his decision will say to the other Nations and while I try to tell him that that's a good thing, you know him as well as I do. He's still carrying his father and I hate to watch him struggle so needlessly._

 _He's closing himself down with his wife as well, and I watch the distance between them and think of the distance between you and I, hoping that it's not this difficult to mend. We at least just have an ocean between us, but Zuko and Mai have all of his self-doubt to contend with. I wish that you could be here to speak with him as a friend. I know how he trusts you in ways he wont even trust me._

 _I've been thinking of what you said about Bumi but we both know he's too much like you to sit still. I think it might be good to take him with you to the South this summer and give him a chance to explore his Southern culture. Maybe there he can find the peace that Saka finds in sailing. If you decide to bring him and Kya both, then I'll stay in Republic City to watch Tenzin. He's little but it's never too early to learn Airball!_

 _The moon's full tonight and I can feel the tide with it. Maybe I'm just imagining it, but I think I can feel you in the tide too. Two waterbenders ebbing to one another. Even if it's just wishful thinking, it's a really wonderful thought._

 _I'll write you soon. Give my love to the children and tell Kya that I said her mother is a terrific teacher, and she just needs to trust her._

 _Yours with all the love in my heart,_

 _\- Aang '_

Asami gently re-folded the letter, a soft smile playing at her lips as she returned it to its envelope. Korra was right; it felt almost too personal to have this glimpse into another person's life even if it was sweet and settling, but when she looked up at the Avatar to gage her reaction to the letter she saw that Korra was pressing her lips and staring at her toes.

"What's wrong?" She asked, putting the letters aside.

Korra shook her head and wiped a hand at her eyes, which Asami realized now were slightly damp. "He just cared so much, about everything. He was wise and he knew people in ways I don't think I ever will. I just wish I could talk to him."

The heiress's narrow brows kneaded together and she crawled closer, coming to sit beside her in the pillows. She was clueless as to how to respond, having no idea the pain of being severed the way Korra had, but she was deeply desperate to have some way to comfort the other woman. Wasn't that what she did best: Comfort the Avatar?

"I think you're a great Avatar, Korra."

She scoffed some. "So great that I got kicked out of Republic City?"

Asami placed a hand on her cheek and pressed a kiss to her temple. "So great that you saved Republic City. And reunited people and spirits and are rebuilding the Air Nation. You've done more for the world in the year you've been out of the South than all of the world's Queens and presidents and councils combined." She leaned her forehead into Korra's hair and she felt the other girl relax again.

"Thanks." She muttered and took in a deep breath; the sort that made Asami think that maybe she was inhaling her perfume. They sat quietly together for a moment before Korra cleared her throat. "Do you know what's sort of a strange idea?"

"What?"

"We all get reincarnated, its just the Avatar who can keep track of their past selves. But, what if your soul and the Avatar's soul have been falling in love over and over for lifetimes? Maybe every other cycle we find one another all over again. Maybe that's why I felt the way that I did when I first saw you."

Asami said nothing. What was there to say to such an idea? It was unequivocally the most beautiful thought that anyone had ever voiced to her and she wasn't sure that she had the vocabulary to say as much. She only knew how hard her chest swelled for the woman beside her and how bright her cheeks burned with giddy elation. It took her a long time to clear her throat and ask in thick voice,

"How did you feel when you first saw me?"

Korra was quiet for a few moments more. "Like I knew I'd know you." She nudged against her some, forehead brushing back at hers. "Do you want to read another letter?"

Asami nodded, keeping herself pressed to the girl she was hopelessly in love with. "Sure."

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _#feels_

 _And yes, I do know that in the comics Aang and Katara called one another 'sweetie' but a 30+ year old man calling his wife sweetie gave me the oogies (lawl) and besides, Sweetheart is just so cute._


	7. Chapter 7

I do not own Avatar: Legend of Korra, its universe or its characters. Nickelodeon does.

* * *

Being a member of Team Avatar meant that there was never a truly dull moment. If Asami Sato had ever felt a twinge of concern towards the possibility of being resigned to a typical, stale existence of boardroom meetings and socialite cocktails that fear had been erased the moment she'd become an established member of the Avatar's support force, and their flight from Ba Sing Se attested starkly to that. In all of her daydreams for what her future would hold, a covert mission into the Earth Queen's secret prison to free captured airbenders and run off with them into the night had never been so much as a blip on a radar. However, that was what life with the Avatar was like, and Asami was loving it.

By far, one of the best parts of being a part of the capricious Team Avatar lifestyle was the travel. After their escape with the airbenders, Master Tenzin and Jinora had turned the Sato airship north towards the ancient air temple, taking their foundlings with them so that they could study their new gifts in peace. Asami did not envy them for the hours of mediation they had to look forward to, but she did think it would be rather soothing to see the Northern Air Temple for herself. Perhaps, she considered, one day she and Korra would make that journey together.

In the meantime, Asami, Bolin, Mako, Korra, and Lin Beifong had made for the city of Zaofu: Home to the Metal Clan. Lin had joined the team rather suddenly, stating that she intended to take Korra into protective custody against an escaped criminal she called 'Zaheer'. Despite both her and Tenzin's fear of the name, Korra had scoffed and refused to be moved from her mission. Asami thought that the situation was more threatening than Korra was giving credence to, but she had to agree that a successful attack on the Avatar sounded unlikely. Korra had fought off a Dark Avatar just a few months ago, after all. What sort of peril could a small band of benders really pose compared to Vaatu?

Determined to find more airbenders, Korra had led the team to Zaofu, which was quickly becoming one of the engineer's favorite destinations. Of course, Asami had already heard of the Metal Clan hub as well as its chief architect, Master Baatar, and it was her absolute delight to have a chance to meet the genius who had built his very own city. While Korra and Bolin spent their day studying metalbending with the city's leader, Suyin Beifong, Asami had been awarded tea with Suyin's distinguished architect husband. As it turned out, Master Baatar needed little encouragement to ramble on about his approach to design and the conversation had been both fascinating and taxing: geniuses were a species all their own.

Yes, Asami Sato was very much enjoying her membership with Team Avatar, but as much fun as it was to gallivant across the Earth Kingdom, save lives. and meet with award-winning innovators it was also nice to have a lazy afternoon with just her friends and her girlfriend. Except for the fact that her friends and her girlfriend rarely liked to be lazy.

"Let's play a game!" Bolin insisted as they relaxed in the courtyard of the Beifong estate. The early evening afforded them a stunning view of the surrounding valley, where green plains flowed into sharp, austere rises of mountain. Asami was resting in a lounge chair with her shop journal on her knees, penning out a design inspired by her conversation with Baatar while Korra sat with her legs folded at her feet, bending a lump of meteor into various shapes. The engineer looked up at the bending brothers, eyebrow arched into a high line.

"What game?"

"I dunno," Bolin's wide shoulders slumped some. "I really want to play that power disk game the twins came up with."

"Except that you can't metalbend yet," Mako pointed out with a grim smirk. He stood leaning against the courtyard wall, the mountains outlined behind him. "And neither can Asami or me."

"Yeah I guess that's a good point," Bolin thumbed his chin, thinking. The earthbender's tendency to think aloud was always something that got a chuckle from Asami. "Hmm okay, why don't we just make up a game like Wei and Wing did?"

This apparently piqued the Avatar's attention, since she quit spinning the meteorite in her hands. "Like what?"

"Well, we can't use any bending, just to keep it fair."

"Thank's for taking me into account," Asami remarked dryly and put down her journal and pen. "We could race?" It was her usual fallback, but the heiress knew that for her to be behind a wheel was just as much an unfair advantage as a bending competition was for Korra. "A footrace," she amended, wanting to be fair.

"Oh but like an obstacle race," Bolin bounced on his heels.

"There's four of us, we could have to carry each other," Mako suggested.

"Maybe we have to keep a ball a way from the other team?" Korra twisted a sphere of air beneath her to stand upright, picking up on this new creative thread.

"Oh yeah, I like that," Bolin stuck his fist into his open palm. "Opal can be on my team!"

"Opal's not here..." his brother attempted to reel in Bolin's enthusiasm but the earthbender just turned towards the house complex. "No but this is a great excuse to ask her to come hangout!" And he ran for the door before anyone could argue, dust at his excited heels.

Thirty minutes later and eight teenagers were standing around the courtyard, which had been earth-bent to their design. What had once been pretty green lawn was now a maze of square stone, roughly three feet tall and arranged into a circular contour. Some of the edges made ramps so that a person could run from the center space up onto the wall, if so desired, and the entire space was some twenty yards across. Looking at the craftsmanship, Asami was a little impressed by how clearly the Beifong family had followed her design.

The Beifong's had mostly been on board with the plan for a game, all except for Huan who had pretended as though the entire affair was too cumbersome for his academic disposition. The twins were far more enthused and had added the idea of utilizing pillows, which explained the pile of silk throws in the middle of the courtyard.

"Alright," Mako cleared his throat while Bolin finished tying a handkerchief to the tip of Pabu's umber-orange tail. The fire ferret had been nominated to be the game's center piece and Bolin made sure that the knot would break easily so that it wouldn't hurt the fella when pulled on.

"The name of the game is Ferret Run. The objective is to get the kerchief off Pabu's tail while staying inside the arena," he pointed to the stone maze. "We'll each be in teams of two, with a runner and rider. Only the rider is allowed to grab the handkerchief. Each rider also get's one pillow, to use against the other teams. So, time to split up into tea-"

"I call Opal!" Bolin threw his hand into the air and then hopped to stand in front of the young airbender girl, who chuckled shyly back at him.

"Okay..." Mako trailed. He looked at the rest of the players, his gaze falling at once on Korra and Asami but before he could even try as much, the heiress put an arm over Korra's shoulder.

"I call the Avatar."

Her girlfriend grinned cheekily up at her. "You running or riding?"

"Riding," she responded and tugged on one of Korra's wolftails. "I'm faster than you, but you're stronger than me."

Korra's grin grew hard. "Yeah? That's not what the Strongman Machine said."

"Well I don't want to run with Wing," Wai announced and playfully shoved his twin, distracting Asami from a smooth retort. That night she and Korra had played together at the Glacier Spirits Festival was a bittersweet memory. "So, I'll carry Huan."

"That's you and me, ProBender," Wing approached Mako to give him a fist-bump, which the firebender awkwardly returned. "We're going to own this."

"Aw, maaan," Huan moaned and slumped his shoulders, but obligingly he joined his younger brother who was already doing power-squats to warm up. Asami wondered inwardly if a competitive streak was common in the Beifong family.

Korra bent her knees for Asami and the heiress turned to her, giving her love an affectionate squeeze as her hands slipped over her shoulders and she climbed up on her back. At once, the Avatar faked falling over and Asami had to cling to her for safety.

"Got you," Korra laughed.

Asami smarted at her but rolled her eyes and took the pillow which Korra handed to her. "Before you make any fat-jokes, just remember which of us owns a chi-blocker," she chided, pretending to not be amused with Korra's endless antics. The Avatar chuckled again and rolled her shoulders, jostling Asami slightly as she walked with her towards the edge of the arena.

"I may be hard-headed but I'm not stupid," she returned. Asami saw that the other teams were likewise getting ready and arranging themselves, while Pabu examined the knot around his otherwise bushy tail.

"Okay," Mako called out. "Everyone ready?"

Asami looked around at the collection of teams, which ranged to overly enthusiastic to downright dreadful... Huan in particular. Bolin and Opal appeared eager to play, while Mako and Wing looked more as if they were ready to win. The firebender was the team's runner and he had his hawkish glare on the arena: the same look of determination which made him such a fabulous ProBender.

"Ready... set... go!"

At once, everyone started into the obstacle course... only to realize a few half-hazard moments later that Pabu was no where to be found.

"Wait, which way?" Korra asked from beneath Asami.

"Um..." she looked around them, thinking that trusting an entire game to a fire ferret had been a bad idea after all.

Suddenly Bolin whistled, and the ferret's pointed features popped up from behind a bush outside of the arena.

"Get him!" Wai shouted with delight and took off in a blur of excitement after the spot of orange fur, leaping over an obstacle wall and into the garden. Poor Huan, stuck with his younger brother, could only manage a surprised cry.

Asami's questioning frown twisted downwards at Korra, who shrugged back and at once they followed suit, breaking from the arena. Mako was just shouting that this wasn't part of the rules when Bolin and Opal went shuffling past him and Wing actually heeled the firebender.

"C'mon dude, we're loosing!"

Korra and Asami took off across the emerald courtyard, the Avatar jumping over a lawn arrangement of metal disks as Pabu's petite silhouette hopped up a balustrade towards the house to get away from the onslaught of gangly teens.

"He's on the lenai," Asami pointed and Korra pounded her way up the stairs towards him, closing in on Wai and Haun. Wai was athletic enough to catch up with the ferret, but Huan appeared to be struggling with keeping his hold on the twin as well as on his pillow, let alone having to reach for the ferret which was snaking back and forth in front of them. When a well-aimed pillow from Opal came whirling at his face, the artist was completely flustered. Huan flailed to his left, crying out, and pulled Wai off balance with him. The two slumped against the wall of the mainhouse and then down to crumble on the lenai floor while Opal and Bolin bore down on them from the opposite end of the patio.

Caught now between Korra and Asami on one end, Bolin and Opal on the other, and a hedge-wall on his right, Pabu took the obvious choice and ran through the open door and into the house.

"He's going inside!" Opal shouted and Bolin started to trudge after them.

"Oh no you don't," the Avatar exclaimed and charged Bolin head-on. "Get 'im, Asami!"

The engineer didn't know how she felt about hitting Opal, even with a pillow, but Bolin she had little trouble aiming for. Leaning up, she tossed her pillow full force at Bolin's face, making the earthbender stumble.

"Not the face not the face!" He cried out and Opal pouted.

"Hey, you can't attack the runners," she decided and airbended a small cyclone towards Asami in retribution. Asami gasped and gripped her teammate, but Korra twisted with a hand outstretched, bending the oncoming current to break past them and down the hall.

"Don't airbend at Asami!" She warned over her shoulder and started down the hall. "Trust me!"

Weaponless, Asami held Korra more firmly as they ran into the hallway, looking down corridors for the ferret. At one T-cross she saw the tuft of a tail vanish down another hall and she pointed.

"That way!"

"Pabu," Korra cooed as they ran. "If you come here I'll give you my desser-" she was cut off as they rounded the corner and nearly crashed headfirst into Lin Beifong, who was glaring at the two in mixed surprise and cool annoyance.

"Oh, hey Chief," Asami smiled abashedly, arms and legs wrapped around a panting Avatar. "We were just..."

From the hallway ahead of them Mako and Wing appeared right in front of Pabu, who shrieked and jumped two feet vertical before running between Mako's legs.

"Mush, Mako, mush!" Wing screamed and Mako, rolling his eyes, turned grumpily to run off after the ferret.

"Woops gotta run," Korra cut through whatever Asami was going to finish with to Lin and sidestepped the police chief, who simply scoffed at their shenanigans and continued to stomp along her way.

"Korra, we've got to cut them off in the dining room," Asami decided as they lumbered down the hall.

"Why the dining room?" She asked, making the appropriate turn.

"Well it's Pabu, and Pabu..."

"Is going for the kitchen," Korra finished for her, catching on. Asami grinned.

They skirted Suyin's office and rounded into the dining room and then through the swinging door which opened into a pristine kitchen but there they halted. A green-armored guard stood at the counter mid-chew with a ricebun in her hand, while Pabu sat at her feet and looked up at her expectantly.

From the other end of the kitchen, a very sweaty Mako and Wing appeared and the ferret took a look between the four teenagers before leaping to crawl his way up the guard's armor and sit on her shoulder. The guard just looked around herself in growing confusion, though she remained fairly calm.

"What're you guys doing?" She asked plainly.

"Kuvira," Wing pointed at Pabu. "Get me that ferret. Whoever gets the handerkchief wins!"

The woman regarded Pabu, who blinked back and then nuzzled at her. "The handkerchief, huh?" She repeated and lifted her hands to firmly grab the ferret. She looked at the creature and then arched a brow from Wing to the Avatar. "Well," she started to take off the kerchief. "I guess that means I win," and she grinned slyly at the fire ferret, who started to head-butt her hand for continued attention. She scritched behind his ears while everyone else groaned with defeat.

"Man, we would have had that!" Wing insisted.

"No you wouldn't have," Korra shot back. "Asami and I got to him before you did."

"Yeah but you don't know that you would have caught him."

Asami scoffed, knowing she could have easily grabbed Pabu if given the chance. Kuvira just chuckled though and walked towards Asami and Korra, and then for no apparent reason handed the Avatar the kerchief. "Hat's off to the winner," she grinned in her firm way and strode past them through the swinging door, bringing the ferret along.

The Sato heiress realized that her girlfriend must be aching after running with her for so long and with the game over, she quickly climbed down off Korra's back. Korra, however, was looking after the guard's retreating figure.

"What is it?" She asked but the Water Tribe girl just looked back at her and shook her head.

"Oh, it's nothing," she shrugged and then held up the handkerchief. "This means that we win though, right?"

"No,"

"No,"

"Yes," all three answered at once.

Zaofu city was a stunning collaboration of masterwork engineering, architecture, and art; something that even the Avatar could appreciate as she stepped off the tram onto the downtown platform. Sleek, rigid geometric lines filled the skyline, and the afternoon sun gleamed off of dozens of stories of highriser glass. The citizens that meandered along the city sidewalks were well-dressed and in apparent good cheer, talking in groups and moving in and out of street-side cafes. The streets themselves were clean and on every corner there was a trash receptacle conveniently placed with small signs that thanked the passerby for contributing. Looking up and down the street as she and Bolin walked through downtown, Korra was impressed by the cleanliness and order of such a large city, but there was still something about the straight lines and cool colors that gave her pause. Perhaps it was too perfect, and that was what made her feel intimidated towards Zaofu. Something told her that street gangs were not a major concern in the Beifong's city, at least.

"Okay according to my map," Bolin was saying, pulling a green 'Visitors Guide' pamphlet from his back pocket. "The cinema is..." he looked around them, lips pressed as he pointed at the different buildings. "Is..."

Korra rolled her eyes and gently took the map. "On North Avenue. And we're on Yu' Street. So we can just take a left at the next block."

"Yeah, okay," he agreed, subdued, and took the map she handed back to him. As they turned to move down the idling sidewalk though, his eyes suddenly lit up. "Or, or, we could cut through that indoor market!" And he pointed ahead of them, where a sign pointed to 'Shops, Restaurants, and More!'

Korra shook her head. "We don't have time for that, I told Asami that we'd meet them at the cinema at five and its..." well she had no idea what time it was, really. She looked skyward a moment to gauge the sun's descent. "Near five..."

While she and Bolin had spent their day busily studying with Suyin, Mako and Asami had gone sight-seeing and a phonecall at the estate that afternoon had invited them to a mover in downtown. Korra felt a little badly for spending so little time with Asami while they had been in Zaofu and she was eager to go on a date with her girlfriend, even one that included her ex and his brother.

"Well maybe there's a clock merchant in there," he suggested, already heading for the market. "It's on the way, c'mon Korra. We haven't done anything since we got to Zaofu and I want to get something for Opal."

Korra heaved a sigh, shoulders dropping, but followed after her friend. "Really? You two have known one another for like, three days."

"Yeah but she's going to the Northern Air Temple and I want her to have something to remember me by."

Bolin pushed the glass door open and held it for her as she followed inside, and then 'oohed' lowly. The door opened into a white-walled hall, floored with pretty marble tiles and lit by warm, yellow paper lanterns. Kiosks and vendors lined the hall, and the smell of cinnamon balls drew them both quickly inside. Five minutes later and Bolin and Korra both had a basket of the fried-dough dessert and were walking among the vendors, sagely examining items of interest.

While shoes, scarves, and handbags did very little for Korra's interest, Bolin agonized over the perfect thing to give Opal for her departure. When he held up two identical writing pens for her to pick from Korra began to fervently wish that Asami had come on this venture in her stead.

"I dunno, Bolin. They're both nice," she shrugged.

"Yeah, okay, they're obviously nice. But which one says 'Opal'?"

"Uh..." she hesitated and, on a whim, pointed to the one on the left. "That one."

"Yeah I thought so too," he agreed and turned to pay the helpful cashier. Korra threw her gaze heavenward a moment in exasperation then took a step towards yet another kiosk, this one selling accessories and ticky-tack trinkets. Among a display of watches was a half-ignored basket filled with steel-disk keychains and one with a red tassel caught her eye.

"How much are these?" She asked, pointing to the keychains.

The bored teenage girl behind the kiosk sighed. "I dunno, like two yaun."

Korra stuck a hand into her pocket and pulled out a single coin and some lint. "Um, I'll give you a yuan... and the rest of my cinnamon balls."

The teen blinked with agonizing slowness back at her. "Are you serious?"

Korra shrugged. "Yeah. They're really good," and she held up the basket as proof. She'd only eaten half.

The girl gave her another of those ingratiating sighs and then held out her hand. "All right, whatever," she agreed and took the basket and coin. Korra grinned and palmed the keychain, then turned almost directly into Bolin.

"What'd you get?" He asked, chewing on the last of his snack.

She showed him the keychain as they started to walk for the other end of the shopping venue. "Just this. I figured Asami would like it."

His green eyes flicked back and forth a few times from the trinket to Korra, before his eyebrows lifted. "Oh, oh yeah, sure. That's... that's great."

"What?" She demanded, sensing condescension.

"Nothing," he shrugged back as they went out the double glass doors on the opposite end of the market and into the Zaofu streets again. "It's just, you know. Maybe not the best gift for a girlfriend."

She shot him an affronted look. "What? Come on, you got Opal a pen."

"Yeah but I've known her three days. A pen is a perfectly reasonable gift for a three day long relationship. You've been with Asami..." he lifted up a hand to count on his squat fingers. "One, two, three..." he frowned. "Wait, when did you and Mako break up?"

She huffed. "Okay, we've been together longer. What's your point?"

"Just that maybe, possibly, a keychain is sort of a weird gift for the heir of Future Industries."

"Asami uses keys," she pointed out. Asami used all sorts of keys, in fact. Shop keys, car keys, bike keys, the list went on which made it a sensible thing to give the engineer, as far as Korra was concerned.

"Well, sure," Bolin trailed, scrubbing the back of his neck. "But a keychain doesn't really say 'I love you', you know?"

Korra clenched her hand around the keychain in her pocket, frowning some as they walked. She had to admit that Bolin had a point, a fact which only made her more unsure. "Well, it's not like I can afford to get her nice stuff. I've never had a real job, I volunteer for everything I do."

"Maybe you could make her something?" He offered, and she shot him a swift glower to curtail any further suggestion along that line.

"Let's just get to the cinema," she uttered, her features and thoughts darkening while they walked through the pristine streets of Zaofu.

They found the theater, a surprisingly understated building, with Asami and Mako waiting for them outside. The engineer caught sight of Korra through the crowd and waved them over with a small smile on her tapered Firenation features. Knowing that the beauty standing out among the crowd was the woman that she got to sit with at the cinema managed to break past Korra's pensive mood and she grinned back at her, then hurried across the street to join the two.

"You guys are late, the mover's about to start," Mako scolded and waved them inside while Asami handed out tickets.

"Sorry big bro, that was my fault," Bolin confessed and then held the door open for all four to enter into the atrium. The lobby was sleek and dimly lit, with hand-pressed posters plastered to the walls advertising upcoming flicks featuring scantily-clad damsels and strapping heroes. There was apparently one of Nuktuk's movers playing as well, and Korra chuckled when she saw a banner under the title listing it as "The biggest comedy of the year".

"Korra," Asami nudged her, looking sweetly at her. "I'm going to get some kettlekorn, do you want anything?"

"Uh, no," she blushed a little and scratched under her ponytail. "You already got me the ticket."

Asami's brows met for a moment as she regarded her. "Okay..." she answered, tone perplexed, but turned toward the brightly-colored concession stand.

Korra grimaced and swiveled to face the boys. She had never really paid attention to the money disparity between her and Asami before, but she was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that between them, Asami paid for absolutely everything and always had. Hell, they had all come to Ba Sing Se in Asami's airship, fare-free. The heiress bought dinner, she paid for any of their entertainment, and Korra had never so much as given her gas money in exchange.

Thinking about this only brought her mood down all over again and the Water Tribe girl was grimly working it over in her mind when Bolin exacerbated everything by elbowing Mako. "Korra got Asami a keychain."

"Um, okay," Mako responded warily. "So?"

"So... don't you agree that that's sort of a lame gift for a girlfriend?"

His frown shifted to Korra. "You just got her a keychain?"

Korra huffed, growing irate with the brothers. "What is the big deal?"

"It's just kind of... a terrible gift idea."

Bolin was nodding helpfully behind his brother's shoulder while Korra colored. "Look," she pointed at the pair. "I don't remember you ever getting anyone gifts, so maybe you should go be an expert about something else -"

"Whose an expert?" Asami asked, joining them with a box of popcorn and a curious expression. Korra deflated and quickly put her hands back into her pockets.

"No one, let's go get seats," she offered and looped her arm through Asami's to lead them through the lobby towards the theater, officially wishing she'd never bothered with the stupid keychain in the first place.

During their stay at the Beifong estate, Korra had taken to sitting for evening tea with her metalbending master in Suyin's study after dinner. Korra found the youngest of Toph's daughter's to be a fascinating resource who had led a rather incredible life, something she admired and enjoyed hearing about. Sometimes Asami and Baatar joined them but for that particular evening it was Lin Beifong whose company Korra had the pleasure to share. Pleasure being a charitable word. Mostly, Lin just harrumphed or rolled her eyes at every other thing out of Suyin's mouth, but the matriarch of Zaofu took her sister's ill attitude in surprising stride.

Korra supposed that the two sisters still had a great deal of mending to do between them, even after their tumultuous reconnection. Some twenty odd years of silence was a lot to hang between siblings, but at least efforts were being made. Lin harrumphing was still better than Lin outright arguing, after all. Still, the tension wore steadily on Korra and she finally stood and stretched.

"Well, I think I'm going to head on to bed. Thank's for the tea, Su."

The Beifong sisters stood too. "Yeah, this all has just been too much fun for me," Lin agreed dryly and gestured two fingers in her sister's direction. "See you tomorrow, sis."

Su shook her head dismissively at Lin's sarcasm but gave her pupil a more polite nod farewell and then they were in the hall, heading in the direction of the estate guest houses. Korra technically had her own quarters, but she had full intentions of heading for Asami's rooms instead. She began to realize that there was a problem in her plan however, because Lin was sure to notice if she circumvented her own guest house for Asami's. Korra started to hesitate as they walked in silence, wondering how to get rid of the police chief without her knowing, but unfortunately even contemplating duping Lin Beifong alerted her blood-hound senses and the metalbender glanced back at her suddenly.

"What is it?" She demanded without preface.

Korra groaned and rolled her shoulders, hating Lin for her astute nerves. She lifted her blue gaze over at the chief as they walked. "Look, there's something I should probably tell you. But, try to remember that you're turning over a new leaf and not being an angry person over everything all the time, okay?"

"If you're trying to piss me off this speech is a quick way to do it."

The Avatar just let out a short breath. She was supposed to be learning conflict resolution in her role as the guardian of balance, and Lin Beifong was a constant test in that skillset. "I've started seeing Asami," she said abruptly.

Lin blinked back at her, clearly not expecting that piece of information. "Something tells me you don't mean in visual sense."

She gave the chief a caustic glance in response. "No. I mean, we're a couple."

"I don't even see how that's possible."

Korra tried to not physically growl at the Chief of Republic City Police. "Look, you don't have to understand it, because you're not involved in it. I just wanted to tell you that we're in love and if you're not going to be supportive just because we're women-"

"That's not what I meant. Although that part doesn't exactly make sense to me either but then again I don't care. What I really don't get is how you landed Asami Sato. That girl was out of Mako's league and she's well out of your league too."

Korra deadpanned at her, her steps halting in the middle of the hall. "She's not out of my league!" She defended, voice rising. "She's..." whatever it was Korra wanted to answer with was fuddled by an image of Asami Sato slipping between well-dressed faces at the Republic City gala, her dark hair tucked into a perfect, perfumed wave and her subtly smirking lips outlined in classic crimson as she absorbed the attention of every person she stepped past. Remembering that night, Korra suddenly reddened and her tongue flagged gracelessly on a response. "Ugh, whatever," she retorted and stomped past Lin, who just scowled wryly after her.

Korra walked into the radiating courtyard and made for Asami's guesthouse, finding the door unlocked. The door opened into a sitting lounge with several lounges and chairs, and the engineer was seated on one of the couches with a folio open on her lap. She was scribbling numbers on graph paper and she barely looked up when Korra entered, indicating to the Avatar that she was deeply focused on her current work.

For a few minutes, Korra lingered quietly by the door, watching her, but slowly she mounted the steps to the interior of the room and from behind the couch, she wrapped her arms around Asami's shoulders and put her chin into the crook of her neck. Asami smelt like jasmine and graphite, and vaguely something mechanical. It was a settling bouquet, one that soothed the aches in Korra's heartstrings.

She was beginning to realize that Asami was out of her league after all: she was gorgeous, well-educated, wealthy, affluent, creative... the list went on and on. What was she able to ever do to keep up with a woman like Asami?

"I thought we talked about this," the engineer commented, pen pausing.

"Sorry," she sighed, but didn't move from her. After another moment, Asami lay down her pen and folio and twisted some to look towards her.

"What's up?"

Korra shrugged and with one arm still around Asami's shoulders, she put a hand in her pocket and fished around for the keychain, which she dropped into Asami's palm without fanfare. She had considered not giving it to her at all, but that would have defeated the whole purpose and Asami should probably realize early on that her girlfriend was a bum. "I got you this," she said bluntly, and then straightened.

Asami looked down at the trinket to examine it, her lips forming into a small smile. "Oh, Korra," she turned her smile up at the Avatar, who couldn't help blushing.

"It's just a keychain. I got at an indoor market in downtown. Just... thought you could use it."

Asami's jade eyes danced on her with delight, but her gladness only made Korra even more uncomfortable. "It's great," she declared.

"Really? Bolin and Mako said it was stupid."

Asami's manicured brows threaded together. "Stupid? How come?"

"I don't know," she walked around the couch to drop into the cushions beside her, looking at coffee table. "Because it's just a keychain and you're the Sato heiress."

Asami actually frowned. "... You don't really think of me like that though, do you?"

"Of course not. Well, I mean. I didn't used to..." she heaved a small sigh. "But, it's not like I can really give you anything special. The Avatar's job is to maintain balance in the world, not... be an office worker. You always pay for everything we ever do or need, and I may never be able to pay you back."

Asami exhaled briefly through her nostrils, and Korra knew instinctively that somewhere she had said the wrong thing. She was just considering getting off the couch and maybe sleeping in her own guestroom when the heiress lifted a hand to cup her chin and turned her to look at her.

"Korra, I don't care about any of that," she stated in a low, intent voice. "Growing up as the Sato heiress has pretty much always meant that my friends were well-to-do's who just wanted a way to network into my family, but you and the boys and the airbenders have never once made me feel like you're with me for my money. I'm not stupid, I know that you guys cant afford to do the things that I can but I've never minded fronting the bill, because all I want is to spend time with you. I can take care of myself, I want to take care of myself and I like that I can do things for the people around me too." Her tone softened some, but her eyes remained sharp as they lit on Korra. "So, don't ever bring up money again, or we may have to have a real fight. Okay?"

"..Okay," she agreed, a little afraid. She has a spirit of peace and light in her but somehow Asami's flashing ire had her defenseless.

The other woman smirked though and leaned in to kiss her softly, relaxing the Avatar once again.

"So, you do you really like the keychain?" Korra asked after a bit.

"Of course I do. You got it for me. Also, I have a lot of keys."

"That's what I said!"

Asami chuckled and nuzzled towards Korra's ear in a way which made the Avatar a little warm all the way to her extremities. "You know," her velvet voice purred in Korra's ear. "Typically, after someone gives their girlfriend a gift, they make-out on the couch."

The Water Tribe girl grinned fiendishly and reached her arms around Asami's hips, pushing into her and putting them both deeper into the couch. "Wow, I didn't know that gift-giving could be so much fun," she declared and pressed her mouth into Asami's smile. Perhaps Asami was out of her league, she reflected, but for some reason she had chosen to be with Korra. The Water Tribe girl wasn't sure how she'd gotten so lucky, but she was determined more than ever to do her best to be deserving of this woman in her arms, always.

* * *

 _Author's Note: Bored of fluff yet? Don't worry, it's not like I'm giving you guys lots of it to make up for the fact that shit's about to hit the fan._

 _Certainly not._

 _Never..._

 _Next time: Unicorns and rainbows and sparkles!_


	8. Chapter 8

_I do not own Avatar: Legend of Korra, its universe or its characters. Nickelodeon does._

* * *

Standing in the women's washroom mirror, Asami was lost in thought as she performed her nightly rituals with an almost mechanical reflex. She washed her face and combed her rich, dark hair, and all the while she mused silently on what an experience it had been for her to come to the Metalbending city where every person was encouraged to live up to their personal potential. She also thought about things like the growing chaos which must have been taking over her office in Republic City, and just what sort of person this Zaheer criminal was who wanted Korra. She thought about the budding Air Nation that was finally starting to grow and she even paused to consider the wisdom in allowing Tenzin to take her new airship north without her to pilot it. There were many things on the heiress' mind in fact, but in between all of these musing threads there was a constant backdrop of something a bit darker, and it permeated Asami's thoughts despite all of her best efforts.

How was her father?

It was a painful question which continued to surface time and again. Asami hated to think about Hiroshi, and in fact she spent much of her meditative time aggressively refusing to do so. The man had actively attempted to hurt her, possibly even kill her, and he was now locked away someplace where all of his hate and madness could hurt no one but himself. So then, why did the mental image of her father curled up with his fetid venom make her heart skip its beat? Why did it make her vaguely sick?

She lay down her comb and let out a weary sigh, and then her fist clenched.

"No," she whispered to the empty washroom, refusing to do this to herself. She glanced up again at the mirror to examine the woman standing in it. She was tall, like the photographs of her mother, and fair like her as well. She determined that she was strong, in her own ways, but she had to wonder whose strength it was: her mothers, or Hiroshi's? Which of them did she take after, and what did that matter? What would it mean to her if the woman in the mirror was in fact a reflection of her brilliant, jovial, willful father?

The washroom door swung open and a lazily-dressed Avatar came waltzing in, hands gripping a towel around her shoulders and her bare feet dirty on the white tiles. The mirror's trance shattered in an instant, and Asami picked up her comb again.

"Hey," she cleared her throat, and Korra flashed her a grin that pulled an unrestrained smile from Asami in return.

"I didn't know you were in here..." Korra trailed and looked around the room. There were two sunken baths and three shower stalls, plus four vanities and accompanying sinks. At this time of night they were all vacant, which Asami had actually planned her schedule around. Her guesthouse had a simple bathroom but no tub or shower and the heiress typically came into the estate's shared washroom at the end of the day for just that reason. She was already bathed and drying off in her towel while attending to her face and haircare.

The Avatar's gaze swiveled around the room and Asami could tell exactly what machinations where whirling in the other woman's head.

"Don't even think about it," she cut before Korra could make any lewd suggestions. "We're guests here and we're going to behave ourselves."

Korra tilted her head back, heaving a sigh. "Fine," she agreed and turned to one of the shower-stalls to undress, leaving the curtain purposefully open as she did. Asami meant to give her girlfriend some amount of privacy, but unintentionally her gaze was pulled by magnetic force to the bronze skin being revealed in the corner of her mirror. Korra stripped off her shirt, the lines of her back growing stark in the bright lighting, and then began to pluck at the ties of her trousers. Asami realized that she was biting her lip and quickly shook her head, intent on following through with her decision to abstain from indecency while under another person's roof... but then the trousers started to shift off Korra's hips and she lost her train of thought all over again.

Korra was in her sky-blue underclothes, stretching side-to-side on her hips and surely doing so just to show off the collage of rippling musculature on her back and arms, and then she paused and shot a glance over her shoulder to catch Asami in the act of watching her. At once, the heiress started and pretended as if she'd been attending to her hair the entire time but Korra was already grinning.

"Are you watching me?" She teased.

"Not even," Asami denied.

The Avatar leaned against the shower stall. "Is that why you're blushing?"

She noted that her cheeks were in fact a shade of pink, and she scoffed. "We're not going to do this," she told the girl in the mirror.

Korra took her towel in between her hands and began to twirl it. "Are you sure?"

Asami caught that look in her eye and turned around to face her. "Korra, don't you dare."

The Avatar crouched slightly, shifting towards her with the towel outstretched and posed to be snapped forward like a whip. "What are you going to do about it, Miss Future Industries?"

Granted, a half-naked Water Tribe girl grinning like a fiend and stalking towards her was mildly tempting, but Asami was adamant that she didn't want to be a slave to her exhibitionist whims. She was also adamant that she didn't want Korra to whip her with that towel.

"You don't want me to show you," she warned, growing more serious as Korra crept closer. She knew her girlfriend well enough to realize that Korra wouldn't back down easily and she suddenly reached for and grabbed a bathing bucket from the other sink, sloshing some cold-standing water as she did. She held the pale by its handle and bottom, directing it at Korra meaningfully. "I'm not kidding."

The two women were at a standoff in the washroom, each searching the other for a moment of weakness, and Asami saw Korra's intention flicker in her water-blue gaze a moment before she acted. The girl was going to try to knock the bucket out of her hand but, before she could move to do so, Asami sloshed water in a clear wave at her. Almost in unison, Korra flowed to her left and curled her wrist and the water twisted upright then splashed back onto Asami instead.

A half second later and Korra seemed to realize her mistake while Asami continued to stand in surprise and growing anger. She'd spent an hour washing, conditioning, drying, brushing, and styling her hair and Korra had ruined all of her work with nothing but a flick of her wrist.

"Oh crap," Korra grimaced. "Sorry Asami, it was a reflex," she promised before Asami could respond. "I'll fix it,"

"Wait,"

Korra shifted her hands towards her and then away, bending the water off Asami's skin and hair to collect back into the sink, which would have been perfectly fine if it weren't for the way Korra's eyes immediately saucered.

"Whoops," she muttered and Asami felt an acute flicker of fear.

"What do you mean 'whoops'?" She demanded and twisted to look in the mirror. A frizzy mountain of loose, black tendrils stood in every which way to form a mane around Asami's head, taking up half of the mirror space. Asami could only gawk in horror for several moments, trying to fathom what the hell had happened to her beautiful hair. "You... you took out all the moisture," she stammered in a tight voice. "Korra you ruined it!"

"Well maybe we can just-"

"I don't think so," she snapped, glowering at the Water Tribe girl's reflection. "You've done enough. Just ...go, Korra."

Asami couldn't believe that this had happened: Korra had no idea the amount of work that she put into her hair, which was far and away her greatest vanity. She'd never had a bad hairday that could compare to the nest staring garishly back at her in the mirror and she was dreading to imagine what all she'd have to do to put the healthy sheen back into it.

"Asami, I'm really sorry," the girl insisted, risking a step closer. "Let me help,"

"I don't think I want your help. Actually, I don't even want to be around you right now," she let a short breath through her nostrils, fighting to keep her tone civil. "I think that we may need to just have some space."

"...Space?" She repeated. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you never listen, Korra," she twisted to look at her, eyes sharp and glassed with her anger. "I told you that I wasn't kidding around and now look at what you did," she pinched a coarse tendril of her hair as emphasis. "This is going to take me forever to get back to normal."

Korra's shoulders slumped as she stood in front of her. "It was an accident."

"Yeah, well, you seem to cause a lot of accidents," she retorted without thinking. At once, the look on Korra's face told her that she'd miscalculated. Her anger had gotten ahead of her and Korra's defiant chin tilt was a precursor to a downward spiral Asami recognized even as it opened in front of her.

"Is that what you think I do? Just go around screwing things up?"

The heiress sighed. That wasn't at all what she'd meant to say and she could have kicked herself for walking directly onto her girlfriend's biggest anxiety. "...Korra,"

"Maybe we do need some space," she uttered, taking a step back from her. Asami watched her collect and pull on her trousers and start for the bathroom door, but as sorry as she was for what she'd said she was still too irritated to stop the Avatar from leaving the washroom in a cool huff. The door snapped closed and Asami sighed hugely as she turned back to the mirror, now with one more thing to brood on.

Asami lay awake in her guest-bed, a finger curling her mended hair mindlessly as she watched the way the courtyard lights made angular lines upon her ceiling. There was no canopy bed here to guard her within warm shadows, and she felt oddly exposed to the clean, open chamber of the guest house. It wasn't something which she typically would have noticed, however she normally had Korra in bed to distract her from such odd observations.

The heiress let out a pining sigh and glanced at the empty space beside her, feeling sick to her stomach as she did so.

It was her and Korra's first real fight since becoming a couple, and what a stupid thing to fight over in the first place. Usually they could talk through any points of contention which surfaced between them, but instead Asami had allowed her anger to get the best of her and then she'd taken a shot at one of Korra's biggest misgivings in retribution. It wasn't as if Korra had intended to ruin her hair, and attacking her after the fact had just been unnecessary when it was clear that Korra was sorry. She'd behaved like a child, handling the entire situation poorly, and her loneliness was the consequence.

The truth was that Korra's tendency to overdo almost everything in her life was one of the quirks Asami liked best about her. Korra never half-assed anything, and she never understood the concept of quitting. Sometimes, that didn't work entirely in her favor (like when she took their play too far) but she only brushed herself off and continued forward all the same. Asami loved that in the Avatar, and she hated that she'd made Korra feel badly for it.

Now that she was properly cooled off, and her hair was semi-manageable again (it would take at least another week of carefully administered nut oils to return to her former shimmering strength) she had the presence of mind to consider what exactly had happened and how to go about fixing it. She'd need to apologize, first of all, and for some reason she had an image of herself presenting Korra with flowers. Immediately she rejected the idea as cliché and stupid, neither adjective fitting her relationship with Korra, and she rolled to her side as she contemplated. She supposed that she could always just go to Korra's guesthouse right then and apologize, even if it was quite late. Korra could very well still be awake, like her, and she might think the gesture was sweet. Or, the Avatar may be asleep and would be put into a worse mood for being woken in the middle of the night. Asami sighed.

A sound outside her window startled her from her train of thought however, and she flicked her attention to the shadows outside, curious. Was that Mako's voice she heard shouting?

Another yell and a crash from outside and Asami was out of bed, rushing for the door to the courtyard in a flurry of robes and gown. She didn't even pause long enough to find shoes before she was out the door, just in time to see Mako and Bolin come rolling past her from some impact in the center of the courtyard. A group of four figures stood illuminated by floodlights near the arcade, and though she didn't recognize any of them she did discern Korra's limp body flung over one man's massive shoulder.

In this unexpected scene of chaos, Asami felt her fear quench cooly in her stomach and be replaced with an immediate directive to act. Perhaps it was the simple fact that this was not her first moment of peril, but something in her switched to her engineer-brain instead of panicking over the fact that the Avatar was currently and obviously being held hostage. She quickly assessed her surroundings and the situation at hand, placing priorities where she could see them.

She didn't know who those people with Korra were, or how they'd managed to get the jump on the Avatar, but those weren't relevant questions just yet.

The engineer knelt to check on Bolin and Mako, who were just at her feet. If the boys were injured they'd need to be pulled out of danger before the fighting escalated, and with as many guards were already swarming onto the guardrails she had no doubt that the situation in the courtyard was about to get a lot worse.

Bolin was already getting up to fight back however and Mako was right behind him, rolling the pain of the impact out of his shoulders.

"We can't let them get away with her," he stated, focused on their task, but Asami shook her head and pointed to the guards which were already surrounding the strangers.

"I don't think they're going to," she answered. "Look."

Even as she spoke, Lin Beifong, more fully dressed than either Asami or the brothers, appeared from between two guesthouses and stomped as she pulled her arms upright, encasing the squad of kidnappers in a shell of a steel plates from the courtyard walkway. Suyin, Wei and Wing came running from the main house to join her in stacking a shell of metal around the group and a guard whom Asami recognized as the woman named Kuvira shouted at the make-shift prison,

"Give yourselves up immediately. You're surrounded. Release the Avatar."

Asami let out a slow breath, willing for this ordeal to be over but refusing to be relieved until she had Korra alive and well in arms again. It looked as if this was the end of it, however, and she waited with tensed breath for the standoff to end... and then something which no one could have expected occurred.

The ground at the base of the plates croaked and began to actually glow a brilliant, forge-red. Asami thought that it must have been light peaking from within the metal shell but no, the earth was actually shifting before her eyes... and it was melting. All at once she realized that it was boiling away as molten magma, so intensely hot that it was actually melting the steel plates into it. The shell began to piece away and the magma grew outwards towards them, pushing Lin Beifong backwards to avoid its rapid spread and as the steel parted the figures on the firm island within were silhouetted by the violent glow and putrid steam rising off the lava.

In a bizarre, unexpected moment Asami realized unequivocally that these were the escaped criminals she'd been warned of, and that once again they'd come for the Avatar.

Korra was slow to rouse but gradually she became better aware of her surroundings, even if she couldn't entirely interact with them. Her blue gaze swept from beneath hooded lids at Suyin's study, though for the time being she was having to rely more on her ears than her eyes to get a grasp of where she was and whom she was with. The toxin which Zaheer had shot into her was not only fast-acting but potent, and she was quietly amazed by how effectively it had separated her from her most base motor skills and senses.

"This solution should be able to neutralize the poison," Aiwei, the city advisor, was saying from someplace nearby and she felt something viscous placed her at lips. She struggled to swallow, and at once focused all of her attention on being able to flex her fingers. It only took a moment before she felt her index finger twitch, which she took as a good sign.

"How could this have happened?" Lin was shouting at someone, most likely Su. "You said that Zaofu was one of the most secure places in the Kingdom." Korra was also curious about how four people had snuck into the estate but she wasn't up for placing blame. For the time being, she was more worried about regaining control of all her limbs and keeping her dinner down. Either the toxin or the medicine was making her nauseous, or perhaps it had something to do with being tossed around like a rag-doll and inhaling magma fumes from close range.

Magma? Who the hell was that guy who was actually bending lava?

"Zaofu is safe," Su insisted. She and Lin were standing behind the couch, which Korra realized she was laid out on. She could clench her hands by now, albeit weakly. "Obviously this group was prepared for our defenses."

"We've combed every inch of the estate," a familiar guard's voice announced from the doorway. "There's no sign of the intruders or where they exited from."

"That's not good enough," Lin barked. "Keep looking."

The presence of Aiwei shifted away from Korra. "I suggest that they must have an inside knowledge of the city. There may be a contact on the inside whom they worked in tangent with."

By now, Korra had decided to make an attempt to rise and at once her head started to swim, which did nothing good for her stomach. She tried to hold her skull together in one piece as an idea occurred to her. "The guards," she muttered, her tongue thick and dry. "One of them must have been helping."

Aiwei agreed and Su snarled. "Then question them. All of them. Whoever betrayed me is going to suffer my wrath," she declared and turned for the door into the hall, obviously bent on sniffing the culprit out as soon as possible.

Having both Beifong sisters angrily shouting was doing less for her headache than her whirling stomach, however, making Korra groan vaguely.

"Can everyone please stop yelling?" she asked through her headache.

"Sorry kid," Lin retorted, slightly softer. She snapped at the three teenagers seated on the opposite couch, which Korra only just realized included Asami and the bending brothers. "Go on back to your rooms and get some rest. You're going to need it." Two of the three stood as ordered, and Lin relented as she looked at the boys. "You did good work tonight guys."

"Thanks Chief Beifong," Bolin grinned sleepily and shot the Water Tribe girl a thumbs up. "Team Avatar's got your back, Korra."

She gave a scoffing chuckle. "Thanks guys. Really." Her eyes landed on Asami, whom she noted was still seated on the other couch. The heiress was turned towards her, jade eyes melded to Korra's in a strained, hopeful expression that caused her chest to clench.

"Asami, you too," Lin jutted her chin towards the door but Asami looked back at the chief as if she were speaking a different language.

"Actually," Korra looked over her shoulder at Lin. "I'd like it if Asami stayed."

Beifong arched a brow down at her, but then snorted. "Right, I guess that's a 'special friends' privilege," she scoffed and started for the door. "Both of you get some sleep, I'm going to be on guard duty outside. Call me if you need anything and stay. In. The room. I'll check on you in an hour."

Korra nodded wearily at her new nursemaid and Lin gave Asami a very severe glance before shutting the door. Almost at once, the heiress was moving across the room towards her and, forgetting all about their earlier argument, Korra made room for her on the couch. Asami slid onto the cushions beside her and pressed her hand to her cheek, which Korra found to be immediately soothing.

"How do you feel?" She asked, though the Avatar just closed her eyes and grimaced.

"Like I got sat on by a flying bison. The medicine's helping though. How are you? You didn't get involved, did you?"

"No," Asami shook her head, still gently stroking her cheek. Korra looked up to regard her girlfriend, and found that the heiress's brow was worried and her eyes slightly glazed. Was she about to cry?

"Hey, it's all right. I'm fine," she promised gently but Asami's lips made a tight line.

"Korra, it's not all right."

She tilted her chin, wanting to sound steady and calm. Surprisingly, she felt rather level-headed for once, though she didn't yet realize that it was Asami's obvious upset which was keeping her more collected. "Everything worked out."

"Zaheer and his men are still out there!" Asami insisted. "They snuck in here right under our noses. What if they had gotten away with you?"

"...I don't know," she answered honestly.

Asami shook her head softly, clearly anxious, and then she surged forward to wrap her arms around Korra's midriff and press her cheek against her chest as she held to her. Korra fell back slightly against the sofa but her arms came weakly around Asami to hold her back. They were quiet for a while, however Korra could feel the other woman's tension coursing steadily through her as they waited for one of them to break the silence.

"I don't know what I would do, if something happened to you."

Somehow, Korra had known that that was where Asami's worries had drifted and she tenderly ran her hand across the woman's back as she tried to think of how to put her at ease. She wasn't accustomed to seeing Asami this way, and it was strangely painful to realize that she was putting the woman through so much worry. She wanted to make it better, but how could she? The night had been a disaster, but it had left Korra feeling more focused than ever. She simply wished that she could help Asami to feel that way too.

"Do you remember when we were fighting the Equalists, and I was going undercover?" She asked abruptly, still stroking Asami's back. "You were upset because olive wasn't my color."

"...That's not really why I was upset," came the low response.

"I know. But, do you remember what I said?"

The heiress exhaled a little and cleared her throat. "You said that saving the world was your job."

"Yeah," she agreed. "I never really thought about it before, but I guess now I'm starting to realize that that's probably kind of hard on the people I love." She reflected that Mako had never gotten so upset, but then again Mako played everything much closer to the chest than Asami did. Maybe he'd needed comforting too at times and she'd just never been observant or selfless enough to notice. She noticed with Asami, though, and for once she wanted to be able to take on the roll of comforting her instead. Her voice grew soft, but still rang with the stubborn strength of her conviction. She was the Avatar, and this is what she did. "I just need you to trust me. If you can believe in me, I can believe in me. And I really believe that I can find this guy and put an end to whatever it is he's planning. I underestimated him before but I won't do that again," she looked down at the woman still clinging to her, eyes closed and cheeks pale. "I'm sorry I scared you," she added in a murmur.

Asami was quiet for a long moment before she cleared her throat. "I'm sorry about earlier. I really didn't mean tha-"

"I'm already over it," she cut her off, shrugging. "It's just lava under the bridge." Asami actually glanced up at her to scoff at her pun, which let Korra know she was starting to relax. She gave her a close, grim smile. "I'm not going to let Zaheer get away with this."

Asami's jade eyes flicked between hers, but the corner of her mouth lifted in a small smirk. "I know. And I'll be with you every step."

"I know. And," she smiled a bit bashfully, hugging Asami close and putting her nose into her hair (which seemed to be back to normal-ish). "Thanks, for believing in me."

It never seemed to fail: Whenever she held Asami, she felt strong. Practically invincible. As long as she had Asami in her arms, it seemed to Korra as if there wasn't anything she couldn't accomplish.

* * *

 _Author's note:_

 _Ways to piss off Asami Sato:_

 _1\. funk with her hair._

 _2\. funk with her Avatar_

 _Next time: Asami and Korra work on their tans... in the desert_


	9. Chapter 9

_I do not own Avatar: Legend of Korra, its universe or its characters. Nickelodeon does._

* * *

The hotel room had become stifling from the stagnant desert air mingling with the heat of so many nervous bodies cramped in too small a space. Asami checked a bead of sweat from her neck and placed her hands back into her lap, barely taking her eyes from the figure of the Avatar who sat ram-rod straight atop the single bed. Korra hadn't moved in the hour since she'd left them to enter the spirit world, and neither had she.

Events since Korra's near-kidnapping had been mapping Team Avatar to this moment in the Misty Palm Oasis since Aiwei had been revealed as the mole and then had tried to cover his tracks by luring the team on top of a timed detonator. Fortunately for all involved, Korra's instincts were faster than the timer and she'd managed to bend the explosion past them, though just barely. What followed was an escape and pursuit from Zaofu to the Oasis, using Naga's tracking skills. Detective Mako had managed to find Aiwei's hotel and Bolin's celebrity secured them a room nearby so that they could lay in wait, something which was hardest on Korra. Asami knew it was only a matter of time before the Avatar's carefully woven focus snapped and sure enough, the Water Tribe girl's patience lasted until sundown. With no sign of Aiwei or Zaheer, the Avatar kicked her way into the traitor truth-seer's room to make her demands but to their collective surprise they found him in a state of total meditation.

It was right about then that certain pieces fell together and Korra realized Aiwei was in the spirit world; without pause she'd folded her hands together and followed him to places which Asami could only dream of.

Now, all that the rest of them could do was to wait, and watch.

Asami was feeling like half her day had been spent waiting, but fortunately she was much better at it than her girlfriend. Korra and Mako both had been strung as tightly as loaded coils as they waited for Aiwei, and Mako hadn't relaxed in the slightest since Korra entered into the spirit world without him. Asami had taken it upon herself to cut the tension earlier in the day by playing something like forty rounds of pai sho with Bolin but even her patience could only run so far and now they all three sat in troubled silence.

At least, until Mako stiffened by the window.

"Uh, guys. Don't ask me how they found us, but Zaheer's waterbender and the lava guy are here."

Asami shot to her feet, her blood running instantly cool. "How?" She insisted, mind racing. Had they left tracks? A clue? Did someone recognize Nuktuk and link him to Korra?

"I said don't ask me how!" Mako snapped and balled his hands into fists while Bolin shook Korra in an attempt to stir her.

"Korra, you gotta wake up! We're in trouble here!" The Water Tribe girl just shifted limply under his hand however, her spirit yet separated from her corporeal self.

Asami looked from the comatose Avatar back to Mako and for a rare instant, she felt genuinely afraid. The benders stalking them weren't mere hired hands or soldiers; they were an elite pair that performed in ways she'd never seen before, even in all of her years watching the ProBending tournaments. If Korra were awake she could enter the Avatar state and fight them off, but now she was more like a liability. Asami knew they needed a plan, and quickly.

"What should we do?" She asked, halfway between the door and Korra. Mako glanced at her and she could see that he was moving faster than he was thinking, surviving by instinct. He scooped Korra from the bed and lifted her onto Naga, who was whining with agitation.

"You're going to get Korra as far from here as you can. Bolin and I will give you time to get away."

Asami wanted to protest the thought of leaving her best friends to fight the people coming for them outside but she realized that the plan was their best chance as long as Korra was helpless and they had no access to her technology.

"I'll take Naga north, and I'll leave the jeep for you. Meet me us in Zaofu, all right?" She climbed on top the polarbear dog behind Korra, holding her limp body with one arm and the reins with the other. Bolin and Mako were both stone-faced and ready for a fight.

"Just get out of here, don't worry about us." Mako ordered and went to the door. Asami clenched Naga with her heels, her fist wrapped tightly around the leather cords to hold for dear life and the moment Mako opened the door, Naga sprang out into the night.

Asami had an instant in which to scan the pool's courtyard and her gaze landed with a silent threat upon the waterbender, but it wasn't her who the woman was looking back at. She was watching Korra.

"The Avatar!" She shouted and lashed out at Naga with a water-whip from her armless shoulder but a fireblast from Mako severed her attack and then Naga was running through the arched passage and out of site into the village.

Korra started to slip forward but Asami clutched her to her chest, attempting to adjust Korra's body as they lopped through the barren streets. Riding Naga wasn't anything like racing on one of her machines but at least the polarbear dog was practically on autopilot. Naga seemed to realize that they were trying to get out of the village as quickly as possible and she skirted shop corners and leapt over retaining walls to make for the edge of town. Behind them, Asami could still hear the booming eruptions of Mako's fireblasts and Bolin's earthbending as they fought to give her time to escape. Fortunately or unfortunately there were no guards on duty at the village gate and they pounded through the arch and into the glittering desert night, the road opening in welcome in front of them.

Despite the distance they were gaining, Asami's heart thundered with adrenaline and a creeping fear. How had Zaheer's men found them so quickly? And why was Korra _still_ in the spirit world? Had something gone wrong in a place were she couldn't reach her? What would they do if something happened to the brothers? Even a hundred yards from the Oasis and she thought she could yet hear the distant booming of a battle, and the knowledge that the brothers were still alive to fight was only a lackluster comfort.

The road out of town rose up a steady incline into the rocky hills and seeing the silhouette of the outcropping loom closer caused Asami to wonder if it wouldn't in fact be an ideal place to set a trap... but then the earth directly in front of them burst skyward into a slab of solid granite. A shocked cry screeched from the girl and she only barely managed to pull Naga back and to the left but at once two more sheets of ruck erupted on either side of them. There was a brief instant of evening light at their back but before Naga could even make another step a final slab of rock enclosed them in darkness.

This was it: They were captured, and she'd let it happen.

Asami could hear her rapid breaths reflected back at her by the close stone walls and after a moment of consideration, she bent Korra over Naga's shoulders and slipped off the saddle. Naga growled at the shadows, feeding off Asami's growing disquiet as the heiress situated herself between the rock and the polarbear dog. She raised her fists and settled into an offensive stance, attempting to quiet her panting so that she might hear from which direction the attack would come. There was no way in fuck she was letting that maniac run away with Korra; not while there was still breath in her body.

Voices outside the rock drew her attention north and she rolled her shoulders and shifted her weight, preparing to pounce. She had no idea what, if any, damage she could do to that airbender but she wasn't about to surrender like some worthless damsel. He wasn't going to take her Avatar.

The rock in front of her shifted to form an opening, almost startling her with the sudden breeze, and Asami leapt forward with a hand up for the bender's wrist. Without warning, she snatched his hand towards her and twisted as her other fist came up and met brittle jaw. Becoming a constant whirl of strikes, Asami released her hold and twisted to her left to move behind her opponent but when she saw the breast insignia of the man she was attacking she paused, confused.

The man she'd just struck halfway into the sand was wearing a military uniform: an Earth Kingdom uniform. Asami glanced around her and saw two more men in similar jumpsuits rushing for her, but she back-stepped with her fists slightly lowered

"Who are you?" She demanded, her tone surprising her attackers.

The two men were both under twenty-five, one wearing a scarf over his chestnut hair and the other sporting a dusty fore-pomp. The two men shared a look over their combat-raised hands, then the older one grunted back at Asami.

"We're with the Earth Kingdom military, and we're placing you and the Avatar under arrest," he proclaimed. Behind her, the man whom she'd almost knocked-out was shuffling to his feet and attempting to block her from a retreat.

Asami just blinked back at airman however. She'd almost forgotten that they were all criminals to the crown since they "unjustly" freed the Earth Queen's airbenders.

She continued to hold up her hands in a stance which could shift easily from defensive to offensive in a moment's notice, but glancing between the men she quickly considered this new turn of events.

"Under arrest?" She repeated. "Where are you going to take us?"

"To Ba Sing Se, where you'll await tri-"

"Do you have a vehicle?" She cut him off.

"Wha- yes we have a vehicle. An airship, so there won't be anywhere for you to escape to, if that's what you were thinking. Look, we have you outnumbered and surrounded. Give yourself up peacefully and we won't have to use force."

She continued to look between the men, and then she half glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the Oasis. Her options were few, but given the choice between the Earth Queen and Zaheer she currently felt less threatened by the dynasty. An airship would also get Korra out of harm's way much faster than Naga.

"Can you promise me you won't hurt her?"

The young airmen looked genuinely startled by the thought. "We won't harm the Avatar, as long as she doesn't try to harm us."

"Okay," she agreed abruptly and put down her hands. "Just hurry up and get us out of here." Both soldiers continued to falter under the authority in her tone, but she just waved them closer. "Come on, we don't really have all night."

They shared another glance before the one in the kerchief stepped forward with a pair of handcuffs while the other two ventured warily into the stone enclosure, presumably to cuff the Avatar.

"By order of the Earth Queen," the soldier was droning on as he hitched Asami's hands behind her back. "I place you under arrest until such a time that your charges may be reviewed and determined by an honorable member of the judicial court."

The heiress only half heard him as she looked over her shoulder to see Naga growling at the two men who were coming for Korra.

"Naga, it's okay," she called to the beast, who whined mistrustfully back. She sighed and looked around the enclosure back at the Oasis, and for the time being the road was still empty. "It'll be okay. I hope."

Within the confines of the dilapidated stone fort which they had been dragged to, Asami sighed aloud and slouched against her wrist cuffs. She was hung rather uncomfortably from the ceiling in such a way that allowed her to either put her weight on her feet or on her hands, however neither position gave her any sort of reprieve. Korra was bound across from her, secure in a straight-jacket and masked with a muzzle of sorts to keep her from breathing fire down on the guards. Secured this way, the Avatar was about as harmful as a kitten except that she kept glaring daggers at the door.

"Are they even going to feed us?" She demanded sullenly and Asami tried to shrug her stiff shoulders. Korra had woken in a fit an hour ago, ranting about Zaheer and something called the Red Lotus.

"Probably not, since they all know what you'd do to them without that mask."

"Oh c'mon, they can't leave me in the desert with no drinking water. It's not like I can bend without my hands anyway."

"That water-arm woman does," she pointed out, not liking to be reminded of how thirsty and hungry she actually was. Her tongue felt like sandpaper just at the mention.

Korra blinked back at her. "Huh. I wonder if I can learn how to do that."

For some reason, the comment made Asami chuckle. Leave it to Korra to see an opportunity to master something new in light of even the most dire of circumstances.

"Probably, and then you can learn lava-bending for good measure."

"Oh, I definitely need to learn lava-bending," Korra agreed, regarding her with faux light-heartedness. "I'm sorry I got you dragged into this Asami," she stated unexpectedly and Asami straightened.

"Dragged into what? As far as I recall, I volunteered. And besides, us getting captured was my fault..." she hesitated, squirming some. "I actually gave up without much of a fight. I thought it would be safer for you to be with armed guards while you were in the spirit world, even if it was the Earth Queen's men."

Korra's mouth twisted upwards into a wan smile from behind the grate of her mask. "Hey, don't worry about that. You did what you thought was best, and... honestly it probably was for the best. If combustion-head or Zaheer was coming to find you in the desert, I don't think they would have gone as easy on you as these guys did."

Asami was exhausted from hours of travel, desert sun, and worry but she had enough energy left to shoot Korra a swift glare. "I _can_ handle myself, you know."

"I know!" Her eyebrows lifted expressively. "Believe me, I know. But even Mako, Bolin, and the entire guard unit at the estate had a hard time with the Red Lotus. You, alone, with dead-weight like me probably wouldn't have stood much of a chance."

She cut a terse sigh, which became a yawn. "Yeah, that's probably true. But I'm still sorry I let you down."

"Asami," Korra's voice sharpened to get her attention. "There's no one else I'd want to be imprisoned with as an enemy to the Earth crown."

Asami couldn't help giving her a small smile in return. "Well, that's just because you're hoping we'll get put into the same cell."

Korra laughed her hard, short laugh. "If we actually get to Ba Sing Se, I call top bunk."

"Yeah, good luck with that."

Korra stomped from the comparable cool of the Earth Kingdom airship hull into the light of the Si Wong afternoon, wincing some at the brightness. The 'Desert of the Dead' was infamous for its impossible expanse and aching heat, and now Korra had the proof first hand: she'd become particularly well acquainted with it after smashing the controls of the prisoner transport and crashing the whole Earth Kingdom airship nose-first into a sand dune.

Fortunately for all involved no one had been badly injured (save for the co-pilot, who took a rather nasty hit to his head when she air-bended him into the control panel) and Asami was hard at work on repairing the ship enough for them to hopefully make it back to the edge of the desert. Just what would happen once they and the Earth Kingdom lackeys were out of immediate danger of Si Wong and its subterranean bestiary, she couldn't be sure but she was positive that she was not returning to the Earth Queen as a prisoner.

Airman Kong, the ship's engineer, joined Korra to go and examine the ship's rudder, which Asami was suspended from by safety cables. The Sato heiress was taking on the role of machinist as she welded a brilliant blue cone of flame against a ripple in the metal. She appeared to take note of Korra and Kong however and flipped up her protective visor.

"How's the clean up going?" She asked, straight to business.

Korra shrugged, feeling confident of the work she and Kong had put into the airship's hull. "I airbent the sand out of the engine room, and the bridge. I'm pretty sure the whole thing's clean enough."

Kong nodded matter-of-factly. "Heck, hasn't been that clean since she started duty."

Korra grinned at their enemy-turned-ally. The crew had been wary of the Avatar and her dangerously duplicitous friend at the first, but realizing that their combined intelligence and skill-sets were the best way for all of them to survive Si Wong had pulled the two sides together. Something about that had an Avatar-beauty to it, or so Korra privately mused.

She signaled back up to Asami. "How's this going? It looks pretty bandaged up from here." How on earth the heiress had managed to turn a wreck into a viable ship again in the middle of a wasteland with just a few tools and some time was beyond Korra, but she was a little used to being impressed by Asami.

"Bandaged is one way of putting it. It's not pretty, but I think she'll be able to limp her way out of the desert at least. Kong, let's give the engine a try."

"Aye aye," he nodded up at her and about-faced to see to it, while Korra walked to stand beneath the engineer.

"Did anyone ever tell you you look pretty good in a welding mask?"

Asami scoffed a bit and started to shut down and collect her tools. "Like there's anything I _don't_ look good in?"

Korra's grin widened. "I don't know, but I can't really imagine you in a straight-jacket and mask."

"Me neither. But, I did think you looked sort of cute all tied up."

Korra blushed an absolute crimson but she forced a chuckle. "Don't get any ideas. Why don't you drop down, I can catch you."

Asami looked from Korra to the sand twenty feet below her. "Um, I think I'll just use the belay."

The Avatar scoffed and then lifted her hands and bent a small cyclone of air and sand under her feet, floating upwards to meet Asami in her sling. The heiress watched her, eyes bright, and then she laughed when Korra put out her arm for her.

"Show off," she remarked and layered her arms over the Avatar's neck, her tools in her belt. Korra pushed her nose against Asami's, nuzzling her with a smirk, and then carefully used one splayed hand to bend them back to the ground.

"I'm pretty glad you finally figured out airbending," Asami remarked as she untangled herself from Korra.

"Yeah. Now, if only I could get a better handle on it," she responded, sarcasm in her glance. She scratched under her pony tail, feeling sand in her fingers and her hair. "Thanks, for not giving me a hard time about the controls." She grimaced. "And the radio. And crashing the airship."

Asami shrugged as they started to walk for the engine room, the sun hot on their backs. "It wasn't your fault, it was Cabbage Corp. All Future Industries ships are going to be built with 'airbender antics' in mind," she promised, raising a finger as emphasis.

Korra's bronze grin broke into a laugh. "Good thinking. We could do a poster with me 'testing' your machines."

"And the banner can read 'Avatar tested, Korra approved," she finished for her with a matching smile. "Although, we really shouldn't be using your Avatar status for marketing. It feels..."

"Crooked?"

"I was going to say exploitative, but sure, that works."

Korra smarted, putting her hands into her pockets. "Yeah, I feel that way too. But I also feel like I should be doing _something_ to help your company be a success. I mean, during Harmonic Convergence I was ready to jump into advertising for Future Industries just to get you smiling again."

Abruptly, Asami leaned close and slung an arm over Korra's shoulder, creating a weight which shifted her in her stride. The Avatar laughed and fake-grimaced when Asami kissed her cheek.

"I'm smiling a lot now. And trust me, riding my new airship all over the Earth Kingdom made a big dent. I got a telegram while were in Zaofu that two different clients are placing orders for next quarter. I think my company will be okay, especially once I'm back to running it."

The comment made Korra cool somewhat, despite the desert sun. They hadn't really discussed what would happen once Asami's sabbatical was over, but she'd already been away from home longer than she'd originally predicted. So much had been happening around them and so quickly that Korra hadn't really paused long enough to think about a future outside of finding and putting an end to Zaheer, however they had nothing but time while they were stuck this way in Si Wong.

"When will that be, anyway?"

Asami frowned gently, recomposing. "Well, I'm not going anywhere until we've sorted out this Red Lotus stuff."

"But then?" Korra pressed, curious.

"Well, then I guess I'll need to go back to Republic City and make sure everything is still running."

Korra let out a tempered sigh. That was pretty much what she had been expecting. "But, I won't be able to go with you. Not as long as Raiko won't let me in the city."

They rounded the nose of the airship, which cast a precious shadow to relieve them from some of the intensity of the desert sun. The rest of the crew were still in the bridge, helping to piece together the control console.

"...What did you think of Zaofu?" Asami asked slowly, looking up at the ship with her hands poised around her hips.

"Zaofu? I mean, I liked it. Why?"

Asami wet her lips, still studying the ship. "Well, I was thinking that I might open a Future Industries branch there. The city is filled with engineers and not enough competitive jobs for all of them. It wouldn't be hard to staff and I'm sure there's brilliant, creative people just spilling over with ideas. It would be a really good location to set up another shop..." she flicked her glance at Korra. "And since Suyin Beifong likes you, maybe she wouldn't mind you staying there."

Korra winced, not really following Asami's point. "Yeah... but then I'd be in Zaofu and you'd be in Republic City. We'd still hardly ever get to see each other."

The heiress arched a brow and shook her head in a way which barely masked her exasperation. "Korra... I'd probably get a place in Zaofu so that I could be there to get the new branch off the ground."

"Oh."

'Oh.'

"It's just something to think about," she added with a curt toss of her hair, and Korra could tell that her girlfriend was anxious.

Both of them going to Zaofu? It seemed like such a sudden idea, but then again Asami was someone who considered all obvious options before selecting her next move. She rarely made a suggestion on a whim.

"So, you've thought about it." She guessed.

"Yeah," Asami lifted her shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. "I like to have a plan in place, when I can."

"It's not a bad plan."

Asami looked back at her, features surprised. "You think so?"

"Yeah, I do." She smiled back at her. "Something to think about." Korra didn't want to be leagues apart from Asami, and she did like Zaofu and the Metal Clan. It would be a lot to get used to at first, but she was sure that Su wouldn't mind her staying in the estate and it would be a change of pace from Airtemple Island. Really, living in a new city would be like a new adventure, and with Asami nearby it would be the best sort of adventure. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more it seemed like a possibility... at least some day when they weren't lost in the desert with an extremist anarchist plot to overthrow.

"All right," she tore her attention from Asami's smile back to the bridge. "Let's see how we did."

She waved at Kong, who waved back, and the engine started to whirl and rumble while beneath them, Korra almost thought she felt a vague tremor in the sand...

Somehow, Asami Sato was seated at a worn table in a sand-blown cantina with the Chief of Republic City police, The Avatar, the Southern Water Tribe Chief, and Lord Zuko himself. Sitting around and drinking tasteless frozen beverages with at least two world leaders had become just another par-for-the-course when traveling with the Avatar, but to be seated with the former Fire Lord and warrior of the Hundred Year War was still a bit staggering. Lord Zuko, however, was perfectly amicable and downright pleasant company, where it not for the topic at hand. The table's conversation was almost entirely focused on the subject of the Earth Queen's sudden demise and what would happen to her people in the yawning wake of her vacuum.

It was almost impossible to imagine that eight hours ago Asami had been talking to Korra about moving to the Earth Kingdom.

Abruptly the Avatar made a huge yawn and scratched through her sand-brushed hair. "I think I need to sleep on this," she muttered to the table. She and Asami had hardly had any rest since their capture by the Earth Queen's forces and the moment they had found a safe place to settle in they immediately found Korra's father and the others. News of the collapse of Ba Sing Se had distracted them from their weariness at first but Asami could see that Korra's fuse was running low.

"Take my room," Tonraq suggested in his firm, steady way. "It's the third room upstairs."

Korra half-yawned and half nodded, getting to her feet, while Lord Zuko stood as well. "We may have to wake you in a few hours. We don't have much time to plan our next move."

"Believe me, I know," Korra answered and gave Asami a subtle look before turning to hobble her way up the stairs.

"Well, I'm going to go check the two-way," Lin decided, metal armor chiming as she pushed away from the table.

Zuko moved to join her. "I'll go with you. I need to make sure Druk isn't bothering any of the local livestock. Or vise versa."

Lin harrumphed at her mother's friend. "You couldn't have found a more discreet way to travel than the world's last dragon?"

"Whoever said he was the last?" He returned wryly as they exited the bar, leaving just Asami and Tonraq at the table.

Realizing that they were alone, the heiress studied her half-eaten bowl of rice and awkwardly picked at the clumps with her chopsticks while she wracked her tired mind for something neutral to say to her girlfiend's father, but Tonraq beat her to it.

"How are you doing, Asami?" He asked with genuine care.

She lifted her jade gaze up at the Chief, who seemed to take up an entire half of the table with his solid presence.

Asami had always liked Tonraq. He had a calm determination to him that was an attribute among the Water Tribe, and she admired what she had decided was an instinctive intelligence. She saw a lot of Korra in the girl's parents, and she had wanted to get to know them better even before her relationship with Korra had blossomed so wonderfully, but now she felt slightly on edge under Tonraq's appraising gaze.

"I'm fine," she answered at once and placed her hands in her lap, checking her posture like a proper lady should when seated. "Just a little tired from the desert."

"I bet. I never realized anyplace could be so hot," he chuckled grimly. "Korra said you were the one to get you both out of the desert?"

"Oh," she flushed a little, shrugging. "We built a sailer from spare parts of the ship after a sandshark ate it. It wasn't really a big deal."

"You saved Korra's life, that's always a big deal to me."

She colored again but smiled, tucking away an errant curl of hair. "Yeah, me too," she responded in a subdued tone. Protecting Korra, or trying to, felt like one of the most significant things she ever did and yet it bothered her to know that it was never really enough. She'd felt almost crushed by that realization the night that Zaheer had tried to kidnap Korra and as soon as she'd managed to swallow back some of that angst she'd had to flee with the comatose Avatar into the night while more enemies pursued. She tried to laugh and relax with Korra in the light of day but these fears didn't leave her and in fact they were beginning to loom worse.

 _"Does Korra make you feel safe?"_

Thinking this through, Asami cleared her throat. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"How... how do you do it? I mean, how do you deal with the fact that people are always trying to hurt Korra? It feels like there's constantly someone she has to fight and no matter what I do, it still scares me. I guess I realized that it's always going to be that way," she scoffed at herself, slowly opening up a fear which she tried to keep locked from her love. "But that just makes it worse." She looked up at Tonraq, acutely wanting his response. "How do you manage to ignore all of that?"

He frowned at the table softly, and seemed to consider his words before he spoke them aloud. "I don't," he answered with finality. "I live in constant fear for my daughter, but so does every parent to some degree. Knowing that Korra is who she is makes it harder in many ways because I know just how determined she is to remain independent, but being the Avatar comes with its own power and I have to force myself to depend on that. We raised her to be strong, and the best that I can often do is to trust in her strength and hope that she knows I'm here when she needs my help. I guess I might say that accepting that Korra has a role to fulfill in the world is part of loving her." He glanced back to Asami. "You really care about her, don't you?"

She felt her stomach twist. Tonraq didn't know about their relationship, and now wasn't really the time or place to fill him in on the details. "I mean, she's my best friend."

"Well, I'm really glad that she has good friends like you. And Bolin and even Mako. You guys may not realize it, but you make her life a lot easier in a lot of ways."

Asami chuckled, wistful. "I like to think so. Thanks."

He smiled back at her. "You look pretty worn out too. Why don't you take a rest? There's two beds in the room upstairs."

"That... is probably a good idea. Don't let us sleep too long," she requested and shuffled the chair back. Just as she was starting for the stair however, Tonraq twisted towards her.

"Asami," he gathered her attention and she paused to look back at him. "Korra told me about your mother and father. If there's ever anything that you need, I hope you know that you can come to Senna and me."

Her lips pulled into a somber smile. Tonraq's paternal inclination gave her an almost bittersweet ache. "Thank you."

Warmed, she went up the stairs and into the room where Korra was already passed out. She stood for a moment considering the girl, watching her steady breaths, but resisted the urge to crawl into the narrow space with her. Being found in bed together, even chastely, wasn't a conversation she had the energy for now and besides... they both smelled worse for the wear. Instead, she slumped into the spare bed and rolled to face Korra, the source of some of her greatest fears and joys, and fell asleep almost at once.

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _I love that Asami knows when to roll with the punches when it comes to Korra._

 _Destroying an airship? Meh._

 _Destroying her hair? #tableflip_


	10. Chapter 10

It was just around the time that Korra and Asami made plans to hunt down the bending brothers that the boys appeared miraculously outside the oasis and after a glad reunion, the extended Team Avatar decided to make the journey to Zaofu. The trip had been partially inspired by a warning which Mako and Bolin had been given by Zaheer himself, expressly for Korra's ears.

She had to either give herself up to the Red Lotus, or the Air Nation would be eliminated.

Once in the metalbending city, Korra resolved to meditate into the spirit world out of some obscure hope of finding and stopping Zaheer, but Asami had her doubts. The last time she had traveled into the ethers Korra had been made utterly helpless for an uncomfortably long time. Mindful of the possibilities, Asami had volunteered at once to watch over her and was consequently sitting beneath a maple tree, watching the flickering sunlight on the aqueduct that abutted them. She very easily could have been accused of brooding and in many ways she was, though she felt badly for it. Asami wanted to be positive, and helpful, but after learning that Ba Sing Se was in turmoil and that the Red Lotus were in route to the Air Temple her heart-strings just coiled miserably in her stomach.

Bemoaning their circumstance wasn't going to help anything however, and Asami knew that. She simply felt so helpless while they were forced to wait from word from Tenzin, and Asami loathed to be helpless. With rueful admiration she looked to her companion, who had shifted into a state of spiritual calm effortlessly and in the soft afternoon Korra appeared so remarkably tranquil. The realization that she only looked that way when she was gone from her body actually brought a grim smirk to Asami: Korra, as a person was anything but tranquil.

The Avatar stirred suddenly and blinked, looking around her in a flash of uncertainly and Asami straightened at once.

"Was Zaheer there?" She demanded quickly, unsure if she wanted a yes or a no.

"No," Korra shook her head. "I couldn't find him." She surprised Asami by grinning. "But I found someone else. I need to go talk to Zuko."

She started to shuffle to her feet and put down her hands to help Asami up.

"Lord Zuko?" She pressed. "How come?"

Korra kept her hand in one of Asami's as they turned to walk carefully over the aqueduct's foot-bridge. "I think that he may be the closest thing I have to Aang right now."

Asami's features pouted with curiosity. "You mean because they were friends?"

"Exactly. Zuko was one of Aang's closet allies for years. And we both read those letters; Aang and Zuko were always giving each other advice. I think that if anyone around here knows what Aang would say, it's Zuko."

"Wait, I thought that you were looking for Zaheer. Why are you wanting Aang's advice now?"

Korra stopped in her steps, looking back at Asami with her brow drawn pensively. The afternoon light was bright on her chestnut hair and gleamed on her bronzed frown. "...Because, I may need to make a serious decision, and I'd rather not do it without thinking it through. For once."

Asami opened her mouth to respond but then closed it.

 _'Zaheer is headed to the northern air temple as we speak. He says he's going to wipe out the new Air Nation and everyone in it... unless you turn yourself over to him,'_

She shivered despite her jacket and dropped Korra's hand. "You're thinking of giving yourself up."

"Asami," Korra grimaced back at her. "That's the point, I don't know what I'm thinking. I need some time to figure it out."

Asami pressed her lips but nodded, glancing away. "Okay," she replied, not trusting herself with a further response.

Korra continued to look back at her for a prolonged moment, and they could each feel the unsaid thing which hovered like a ghost between them. But, the Avatar finally rolled her shoulders.

"I'll meet up with you and the others in the radio room."

Asami just nodded back, and without a word she leaned abruptly close and brushed a kiss to Korra's cheek before turning to take the long way back to the radio room. She also needed some time.

* * *

They stood in a half circle around the airship's map diagram, while Su used figurines to illustrate her plan of attack on the Air Temple to which they were steadily in bound. Asami studied the map, along with Mako, Tonraq, Lin and Bolin but Korra was absent from the conversation. Asami could feel the Water Tribe girl's distraction as she stood in front of the port window, her arms crossed in the same pensiveness she'd been stuck in since her meditative foray into the spirit world earlier that afternoon. Asami wasn't sure exactly what conclusions Korra was turning over, but she had a fairly good guess. She was almost unsurprised then when Korra's voice rose over the din of discussion.

"Su, it doesn't matter what you do, it won't work. Zaheer will figure out we're up to something and the minute he does, he'll kill the airbenders."

Suyin scowled back at her, more determined than ever. "My daughter is one of those airbenders. I know exactly what is at stake here, Korra."

"Then you'll agree with me," Korra sighed, shoulders sagging. "I'm going to have to give myself up."

Su and the rest all protested at once, their disapproval resonating in a vain harmony that Korra simply shook her head against. For her part, Asami said nothing. Some part of her had realized Korra would choose this path the moment she had begun to hesitate. Korra never wavered.

"I've given this a lot of thought, and after talking it through with Lord Zuko I'm sure. This is the way it has to be."

Asami couldn't help herself. "You cant really expect us all to just watch Zaheer take you." It was a ridiculous idea, one which felt uncharacteristically close to giving up.

Korra shook her head once, resolute. "The world has been out of balance for almost two hundred years without the Air Nation, and it's my job to protect that," she frowned at Asami. "If you're worried about me then help me save the airbenders. After that, you guys can save me."

Tonraq and Su shared a look, considering the proposition. Asami had a wild, fleeting hope that if she couldn't talk Korra down from her foolishness then perhaps Tonraq would step in, but instead the Chieftain grimly nodded.

"We're with you."

Asami felt the strength in her knees slack while Su took Tonraq's side. Silently, Bolin patted her back in some faint attempt to console her but she barely noticed.

"I'll go tell Zaheer," Korra nodded, accepting their begrudging agreement, and turned for the radio room. The moment the door closed behind her, Asami let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She felt vaguely sick.

"Hey," Mako nudged her gently with an elbow. "Let's get some air."

"...Okay," she agreed in a dim voice and turned down the opposite hatch with both him and Bolin, letting the brothers lead them to the catwalk.

This was a mistake. Korra was going to get herself hurt or worse and she was honestly expecting Asami to just allow that to happen? They had no idea what it was Zaheer wanted with her; they could be letting the Avatar wander into any manner of trap and she was honestly being expected to just let that go?

"You gonna be all right?" Mako asked from somewhere nearby, regarding her in his watchful way and she flicked her gaze between him and his brother.

"This isn't fair," she answered and turned from them both, arms crossing to hold herself together. "There's got to be another way, I just need to figure it out."

"Asami, this is Korra's decision."

"That doesn't mean it's not a mistake," Asami shot back, rounding on them.

"Yeah but," Bolin lifted his hands in a placating gesture. "It's Korra's mistake, and she's the Avatar. We have to let her do her job."

"What Bolin said. Korra broke up with me for not 'getting' that her job as Avatar comes first," Mako added. "The only thing you can do sometimes to help her is to support her."

 _'I guess I might say that accepting that Korra has a role to fulfill in the world is part of loving her.'_

Asami scoffed and swept a hand up into her black tresses, feeling flushed and furious and frightened. "I know," she sighed finally.

"Look, we care about Korra too," Bolin put a hand on her shoulder. "And we've been through plenty of battles with her and one thing I've learned is that Korra's pretty much the toughest person on the whole planet. If you ask me, Zaheer's getting more than he bargained for with Korra."

A tired chuckle escaped her at that, and both brothers grinned a little. "That's a good point."

"Korra's going to get through this," Mako promised. "And we just have to make sure we're there for her. You more than anyone."

 _'Does Korra make you feel safe?'_

She nodded softly, lips pressed. This was what it was to be in love with the Avatar, and though she'd known that all along it was only just now truly settling in. Perhaps it was because of the defeat she'd seen flash in Korra's eyes as she turned for the radio room, or the simple fact that Zaheer had already made a decisive murder within the last forty eight hours but something about the coming dawn frightened her so much more than their last battles. This time, it almost felt as if Korra could actually lose.

"Okay," she agreed after a moment more and cleared her throat. Mako and Bolin were right, this wasn't their first fight and it very likely wouldn't be their last. She needed to focus and be the support that Korra needed. "Let's get back to the others. I don't want her to know... you know."

The brothers both nodded in agreement and together they made their way back into the main cabin to wait for Zaheer's response.

* * *

Korra watched the ground become larger in the porthole through the early morning mist as the airship settled for its landing, her thoughts distant but focused. Over and over she considered the possibilities of her coming interchange with the Red Lotus and her response to each. What mattered most was that the airbenders were safe, but if Zaheer was in any way dishonest about his hostages then she knew she'd need to take him out. She might even be forced to kill him, and she wondered plainly if she could do such a thing.

The machinery began to grind more loudly as the mechanisms which prepared for landing procedures began to fall in place, and then another sound much closer and softer pulled her attention from the window.

Asami was walking into the bay, holding her chi-blocker glove, and she looked a little surprised to see Korra. The Avatar had been unintentionally avoiding her girlfriend ever since she'd made her decision a few hours previous and now she had no where left to flee from the unsaid things which continued to hover between them. It was strange that she was willing to face a murderer but not the woman she loved most.

Korra tilted her head, smiling fondly at the heiress. "Are you okay?" She knew the answer, but it seemed the polite thing to ask in the present situation.

Asami just shrugged however and shifted slowly towards her. "I will be. When this is done. I just wish I knew what he wanted with you," she sighed, echoing a conversation they'd had while overlooking the Misty Palms Oasis.

Korra nodded back and watched how the dim light framed Asami's features in soft shadow, liking the way her eyes almost glowed with that cool, malevolent green. She leaned her glider staff against the bulwark and met Asami in a hard, needful embrace which tangled their arms and brought Korra's nose into her girlfriend's soft dark hair. Asami squeezed her back just as strongly, and the Water Tribe girl was glad that there was silence this time. She knew that this wasn't easy on Asami, or her father, or any of the friends who cared about her but it wasn't easy on her either. She didn't want to admit that she was afraid of what would happen once she was in Zaheer's possession but it wasn't just her safety she worried for. If the world lost its Avatar, it would be alone for another seventeen years or longer and there was too much present turmoil to leave the world abandoned. She'd spent her night debating over and over which was worse, a world without an Avatar to rely on or a world without airbending, but in the cold dawn her decision hadn't faltered.

"You really are a great Avatar, Korra," Asami murmured abruptly and Korra's eyes flung open, startled by the declaration but at once warmed by it as well.

"I hope so," she answered thickly back, nuzzling deeper against her. "Thanks, for everything, Asami."

The heiress made a sound someplace in her throat which was neither a laugh nor a sigh but some attempt to respond to what had no proper response. It was an acknowledgement, and Korra didn't expect much else. She was glad, at least, that Asami wasn't attempting to talk her out of anything. It would have been hard enough knowing whether or not she'd made the right decision without her lover questioning her as well.

She shifted slightly in Asami's arms and pressed a kiss to the woman's temple, allowing her perfume to settle on her lips. "You know, maybe when this is all over, we can take a vacation from all this Avatar stuff. Go someplace just the two of us."

"Korra, this was my vacation."

She laughed, laying her cheek on Asami's shoulder. "Oh, right. Sorry I kind of spoiled it."

"You didn't spoil anything," the engineer corrected her. "But, maybe someday we can go somewhere, just us."

"That sounds great."

* * *

The halls of the temple were cool and quiet at this far edge of the island, away from the pavilion where the festivities were taking place in full and gallant swing. In between the temple promenades and in the temple proper, airbenders and diplomatic officials danced and socialized to the tune of traditional chimes while the world welcomed the newest airbending Master in twenty years, and only the third in nearly two hundred. Jinora had made her ascension and taken on her tattoos, along with the responsibility which they signified, and Korra could not have been more proud of her friend. It would be different, though not strange, to stop thinking of Jinora in terms of another airbending kid ever-underfoot and instead see her as a peer, but Korra knew without a doubt that the girl was ready for this new role. She only wondered how much it was going to bother Ikki to be so far behind her sister.

Korra's wheelchair snagged on a step, shifting the chair slightly, and snapping the Avatar from her musings. She heard Asami 'tsk' from behind her.

"Sorry," the heiress muttered and readjusted to turn and pull the chair up the dormitory ramp which had been hastily added two weeks ago on their return to the island.

"It's okay," Korra replied tonelessly. "You're not used to steering without an engine."

They rolled into the atrium, which was empty. Everyone else on the island was at the celebration in the main pavilion, leaving the dorms thankfully dark. Korra had remained at the party for as long as she could stand to but finally her lack of participatory cheer had started to outweigh the pleasure of her attendance and Asami offered to take her back to her room.

"Well, there's an idea," she returned in that same honey-voice she'd been using around her ever since Korra had been poisoned. "Can you believe Raiko?"

There. That sounded more like Asami.

"He's just trying to look good for the papers. No one wants to be accused of turning away an injured Avatar."

The President of Republic City had made a formal withdrawal of Korra's exile from the city, but the small victory felt hollow in the light of everything that had happened once she'd handed herself over to the Red Lotus.

"Still," she huffed and they rolled through the hall towards Korra's room. "He just acted like he didn't try to humiliate you over that stint with the spirit vines. I wonder if he realizes how much of his campaign donations wont be coming from Future Industries next term."

Korra's lip twitched in the ghost of a smile. Asami had been perfectly polite towards Raiko earlier in the day, and had even spoken to him in Korra's stead but behind closed doors her tendency to be protective towards her was starting to show. They turned down the hall and over the threshold of the sliding door, where another ramp had been constructed for her. Korra was capable, mostly, of moving her self around in the chair but she was particularly exhausted tonight and having Asami steer her along was comforting, if not vaguely humiliating. She knew how much Asami liked to do it, however. She theorized that it made the engineer feel ever more like her protector, and she also imagined that Asami had no idea just how much Korra resented her for that.

"What did you think of the ceremony?" Asami asked as she parked her in front of the chest of drawers and began to unbind her hair, which had been trussed up for the occasion. She moved methodically, and even sweetly, but there was a sense of expectation in her motions when she picked up a lock of Korra's brunette tresses to brush. Korra watched the boats on the bay through the open window.

"It was nice," she answered.

"It's funny, but I didn't know what to expect from an airbending ceremony. Seeing everyone work together that way really seemed to fit, though. And Jinora's tattoos looked amazing. I can't believe how long she must have had to sit for those."

Korra grunted in acknowledgement, letting Asami fill the silence with her commentary. She felt somewhat guilty for not joining in, like Asami was surely hoping that she would, but no words really seemed to come to her. Finally her nightly grooming seemed to have been finished with and Asami wheeled her a little closer to the bed. This was Korra's least favorite part.

The Water Tribe girl looked down at her legs, staring hard at her knees, and willing them to move. Just a tremor, just a twitch.

After her first interchange with Zaheer on Laghima's Peak, Korra had found herself and the airbender's betrayed and despite her best efforts she'd lost the fight with Zaheer while her hands and legs were bound by titanium chains. She'd awoken in a cavern, strung up by her limbs and that was when she finally learned exactly what it was Zaheer had wanted all along. To end the Avatar cycle.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Raava empowered Korra more than any of the Red Lotus seemed to realize and in the hight of her nirvanic coupling with her spiritual self she'd rained a fresh and blinded fury upon the Red Lotus. The fight was a blur for her now, fueled as it had been by self preservation and a madness brought on by the poison which coursed through her veins but in the end she'd pushed her body through more than it could take. She did, in fact, have a precise memory of the sound she felt in her back after her last fall and it was a sensation that still startled her from sleep. The healers told her it wasn't beyond repair, but every night and morning she stared at her motionless legs.

Once again there was no response to her silent urging, and she sighed harshly. Asami's hands fell on hers.

"Sweetheart, do you want my help?"

Korra couldn't meet that kindly gaze, but grudgingly she nodded. Her arms came up around Asami's shoulders and Asami leaned to wrap one arm around her back, the other beneath her knees. Carefully, she lifted Korra's weight from the chair and to the bed's edge and Korra leaned back into the covers with a thankful sigh. Laying in bed felt a little closer to normal.

Asami remained seated on the edge, and her fingers trailed forward to tuck back an errant lock of Korra's hair.

"I'll let you get some sleep," she decided after a few silent moments but Korra placed her fingers around Asami's wrist.

"Wait," she requested, looking back at Asami in the dim lamp light. The heiress tilted her head, causing her hair to fall off her shoulder. Even as much pain as Korra was in, she could still pause long enough to admire how quietly stunning her lover was. "Come here," she offered in a husky voice and with a smile, Asami did as beckoned. She lay her weight carefully on top of her, lips pressing to her ear, but when Korra lifted her arms she found them falling heavily against the curve of Asami's back. Her fingers, try as they might, couldn't seem to grasp her. Her biceps only hung, suspended.

Invited, Asami's mouth began to roam along Korra's cheek in warm, damp kisses but Korra felt her throat go dry and slowly she shook her head.

"Sorry," she wheezed, closing her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something else, but couldn't even imagine how to. Asami was gorgeous, and sweet, and intelligent and strong and now she herself was just... so very tired. She couldn't even bring herself to hold her, and that realization stung her in a way which brought her to an entirely new realization.

Asami relaxed, shifting to her side. "It's okay," she assured, bringing her arm around Korra's midriff to spoon with her.

Korra tilted to her side, eyes closing. It wasn't okay, not at all.

They were quiet for a long time, with only the sound of the bay and the party wafting in to the dormitory window to distract them from conversation and Korra started to wonder if Asami had drifted off, despite the cramped way they lay in the hard-pallet bed. Asami hadn't shared a bed with her since before her fight with Zaheer, but as much as she wanted to enjoy their closeness her thoughts seemed stuck upon that simple fact: she couldn't hold her.

"Asami," she croaked quietly in the darkness, eyes still closed.

"Mmm?" Came the sleepy response.

"...I think I want to go home."

"Home?" She asked, shifting a little.

Korra cleared her throat, wanting her voice to be neutral and not betray her in this. "Yeah. To the South Pole. Just for a little while. I think it'll be good for me."

Asami shrugged against her. "Okay. I'll move some stuff around. Can we wait till the end of next week?"

Korra bit her lip, and slowly the words dragged from someplace in her stomach. "Actually, I think I should go by myself. I don't want to drag you down there."

"Korra, it's not dragging me, I don't min-"

"I just need some time," she cut her off, tense and waiting.

"... All right," Asami murmured after a few tense moments. "If that's what you want," she leaned and Korra felt her kiss on her temple. "Take all the time you need."

Korra hated it, the guilty tear that escaped the corner of her eye. Even then, she didn't know if she'd ever come back. How could she? She was broken, a shell of her self and when she couldn't even feel connected to her body or her spirit how was she supposed to connect to other people? How could she be the Avatar as she was now?

She had hoped, at first, that her typical strength would take over and help her to heal as it always had but there had been no change, and if anything she felt weaker now than ever and the only solace she could imagine was home. Home was a vague word to her: it was a place where her concerns were internalized and kept protected from the needs of the world and that was the only place she felt like she could belong anymore. She just wanted to be removed from the watchful eye of an expectant public, to be safeguarded from sympathy and implied accusations. She just wanted to rest.

Asami clicked off the light and settled back against the pillow, her hold secure around her. For the time being Korra allowed herself to just focus on the sensation of her loved one close and present, because there was some inner understanding that it would be the last time she'd feel this safe for a very long time. She'd set out to heal a broken world and in the end she'd broken herself but what Korra failed to realize in that twilight hour was that all things, even Avatars, mend. The variable is simply how.

\- End -

* * *

 _Author's Note: Thank you for once again following my story of Korra and Asami. It's been very enjoyable to work on, though at times trying in a bittersweet way._

 _So badly did I want for Asami to go south with Korra, but it wasn't their journey and in so many ways that makes beautiful sense. I honestly love the idea of people growing separately in order to later come together as stronger individuals and that was absolutely something that Korra needed after her emotional turmoil with the Red Lotus and the others._ _Keep following for Book 4 of ASG to see what the future holds for these wonderful characters by Konietzko and DiMartino._


End file.
